Department for Transport

Aviation: Crew

Mr John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the extent to which airline pilots suffer skill fade as a result of over-reliance on automatic systems and of the implications of this for flight safety.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There is a robust European Certification process in place to ensure that commercial air transport pilots have technical knowledge, competency and training that they need.　 The training is developed collaboratively between industry, manufacturers and regulatory bodies and takes into account technological advances including automation.　 After their initial training, pilots are required to demonstrate periodically that they still have the full set of skills they need to operate equipment safely in a range of circumstances.　 All Flight Examiners and Type Rating Instructors/Examiners work to a common set of standards agreed at a European level.

Driving: Licensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he had with the (a) Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, (b) Secretary of State for Scotland, (c) Welsh Government, (d) Scottish Government and (e) Northern Ireland Executive prior to the decision to display the Union flag on driving licences in Wales, Scotland and England.

Claire Perry: I discussed this issue with the Minister of State for Northern Ireland (Dr Andrew Murrison MP). Also, as part of the collective agreement process, Ministers in all UK government departments, including the Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland offices, were consulted on the change before the announcement was made. The relevant Ministers in the Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive were informed ahead of the announcement being made.

Driving: Licensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how long it will take to implement the decision to display the Union flag on driving licences in Wales, Scotland and England.

Claire Perry: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is planning to issue driving licences that include the Union flag from summer 2015.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Belfast

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Belfast was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in December 2014.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres at Belfast and Stornoway were staffed at below risk-assessed levels at the same time in 2014.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Stornoway was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in December 2014.

Mr John Hayes: Where there are specific issues at a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Her Majesty’s Coastguard uses the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. These historic risk assessed watch level assessments at MRCCs err strongly on the side of caution. As each MRCC joins the evolving national network the number of Coastguards at any of the individual centres becomes less significant. The flexibility of the new arrangements means that it is more important to consider the number of Coastguards available on the growing network. Based on the risk assessment which characterised the previous model, during December 2014 Belfast MRCC was staffed below risk assessed levels on 23 occasions out of 62 shifts and Stornoway was staffed below risk assessed levels on 41 occasions out of 62 shifts. During 2014 the MRCCs at Belfast and Stornoway were staffed below risk assessed levels at the same time 126 occasions out of 730 shifts during 2014. I have asked for a fresh appraisal of the relationship between the available levels of resource and need in the light of the benefit of the new structure.

East Coast Railway Line

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for open access train services on the East Coast Main Line are before his Department.

Claire Perry: There are no applications for open access services before the Department. The decision on all access applications is solely the responsibility of the Office of Rail Regulation as the independent regulator. The Department responds to consultations on access applications as appropriate. There are currently two open access applications before the ORR for open access applications on the East Coast Mainline. The ORR’s decisions on current and historical track access applications can be found on their website (http://orr.gov.uk/consultations/access-consultations/track-access-decisions) alongside current applications being considered (http://orr.gov.uk/consultations/access-consultations/current-track-access-applications).

Railways

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many open access train services have been agreed by (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail in each year since 2010; how many such applications have been rejected by the Office of Rail Regulation; and how many such services are now running.

Claire Perry: It is not the role of the Department or Network Rail to approve or reject any access applications. The decision on all access applications is solely the responsibility of the Office of Rail Regulation as the independent regulator. The Department responds to consultations on access applications as appropriate. The ORR’s past decisions on track access applications can be found on their website (http://orr.gov.uk/consultations/access-consultations/track-access-decisions) alongside current applications being considered (http://orr.gov.uk/consultations/access-consultations/current-track-access-applications). There are currently two open access operators operating on the East Coast Mainline who were approved by the ORR. These are Grand Central and First Hull Trains.

First Great Western

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with First Great Western and the manufacturers of Intercity Express Programme trains regarding plans  for driver-only operated trains.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport confirmed earlier in the year that we would enter into negotiations with First Great Western for a second, directly awarded contract, for the three and a half year period from September 2015, when the current one expires, plus an optional extension of up to 13 periods. These negotiations are currently live and commercially confidential, and we expect to be able to announce the results by spring. The required capability of trains is set out in the Train Technical Specification at paragraph 3.5. How this capability is to be used will a matter for the franchisee.

First Great Western

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with First Great Western and the manufacturers of Intercity Express Programme trains regarding the provision of buffet car services.

Claire Perry: There have been no discussions of this nature with First Great Western. The train technical specification is available on the Department for Transport website. Paragraph 6.2.6 sets out the design flexibility required to enable the option of a variety of catering solutions to be chosen. My officials are working alongside the Virgin-Stagecoach consortium to explore with Agility Trains East the inclusion of a standard class café-bar on all East Coast InterCity Express Programme trains.

Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has provided for projects in Swindon since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The table attached lists the funding the Department for Transport has provided for projects in Swindon since 2010:  The Department is unable to disaggregate the specific investment on the rail network or the Strategic Road Network in Swindon. 



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.41 KB)

Railways: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2014 to Question 208033, what plans he has to improve connectivity to Reddish South and Denton arising from the better use of existing infrastructure through those stations.

Claire Perry: Work between the Department for Transport and Rail North to develop the specification for the Northern franchise is ongoing. This work is taking account of all relevant data and the views expressed in responses to the public consultation. The train service and other requirements for the franchise, including those relating to Reddish South and Denton, will be set out in the Invitation to Tender. We expect to publish this early this year.

Rolling Stock

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Written Statement of 8 January 2015, WS175, on Rail in the North: Rolling Stock, how long he expects the lease for the new rolling stock to run; and which rolling-stock leasing company will provide the new rolling stock.

Claire Perry: Leases will be in place until at least the end of the current franchises in February 2016. Commercial terms for the leases are still being agreed, so I am not in a position to outline the providers at this time.

Rolling Stock

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Written Statement of 8 January 2015, WS175, on Rail in the North: Rolling Stock, what estimate he has made of the total cost of leasing the new rolling stock; and what proportion of that cost will be borne by (a) his Department and (b) train operating companies in each year until the end of the lease.

Claire Perry: The total cost of the rolling stock solution is c£20m, which will be borne by the Department for Transport.

Rolling Stock

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Written Statement of 8 January 2015, WS175, on Rail in the North: Rolling Stock, what the average age is of the new rolling stock; and whether the new rolling stock meets the requirements in the Persons of Reduced Mobility Specification for Interoperability.

Claire Perry: Some of the rolling stock used in this solution is already in use in the area so it is not “new.” In total, however, including this stock, the average age is 24 years old. Taking just the stock that is new to the area, the average age is 22 years old. The stock is being refurbished to ensure appropriate standards for passengers. Northern are working towards making all of the new rolling stock compliant with the requirements in the Persons of Reduced Mobility Specification for Interoperability.

Rolling Stock

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Written Statement of 8 January 2015, WS175, on Rail in the North: Rolling Stock, whether it is his policy that the operator of Northern Rail and TransPennine Express services after the new franchise commences will be required to continue using that rolling stock.

Claire Perry: The rolling stock changes announced in WS175 are an immediate solution to mitigate the loss of rolling stock on TransPennine Express. It will be for bidders to propose how they will provide appropriate capacity in the new franchises.

Rolling Stock

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Written Statement of 8 January 2015, WS175, on Rail in the North: Rolling Stock, how many seats are available on Northern Rail and TransPennine Express; how many seats will be available once the new rolling stock comes into service; when he expects this rolling stock to be put into service; and how long he expects such rolling stock to remain in service.

Claire Perry: From May 2015, five Class 170 trains move from TransPennine Express (TPE) to Chiltern representing a total of 515 Standard seats. The additional trains announced on 8 January (in WS175), will provide six Class 319 electric trains adding 1800 more seats to the Northern train fleet. This follows the Department for Transport reaching a deal with Northern Rail in April 2014 for them to receive 14 Class 319 electric trains. The first of these are currently undergoing refurbishment with the 14 trains due to enter service during 2015. There are 300 seats on each train making a total of 4200 seats. Changes to the train services between Manchester and Blackpool as a result of the announcement in WS175 will see many TPE services that currently offer 154 Standard seats per train operated by four coach Class 156 diesel trains offering 300 seats. As the Written Statement 8 January 2015 (WS175) sets out, the Department for Transport will make a further announcement in due course regarding additional capacity to be provided on the Cumbrian Coast line from May 2015. The solution set out will be introduced in the coming months. The rolling stock will remain in service on the franchises at least until February 2016 when the current franchise terms end.

Motor Vehicles: Databases

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to restrict access to DVLA vehicle ownership records by private parking companies which have a high failure rate in the appeals process.

Claire Perry: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) discloses vehicle keeper details to allow alleged breaches of the conditions applying to parking on private land to be followed up. The DVLA monitors the use of its data by parking companies and uses information gained from a number of sources, including appeals when considering audits to vehicle keeper information. The success or otherwise of individual appeals is not the only indicator to determine whether information should continue to be released to a private parking company. Motorists in England and Wales can appeal parking charges free of charge. The decisions are binding on the parking operator. Parking companies and their accredited trade associations may use the results of these appeals to adjust their business practices. The outcome of appeals cannot therefore be relied upon as a sole indicator of the conduct of parking companies.

Home Office

Passports

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK Emergency Travel Documents wore issued to overseas applicants in each month since June 2012.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 15 December 2014



Consular data is published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/consular-data. This includes data on the number of emergency travel documents (ETDs) issued to British citizens on a monthly basis.

Deportation

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on removing foreign nationals in each year since 1997.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 15 December 2014



Home Office spend on removing foreign nationals includes the costs incurred in transporting foreign nationals to their country of origin, and third party cost incurred as part of the Facilitated Removals and Assisted Voluntary Returns (AVR) removal programmes. It includes associated flight costs, and the costs of escorts used when removing foreign nationals from the country.£m Total 2009-10 - 68.0 2010-11 - 71.8 2011-12 - 54.2 2012-13 - 57.3 2013-14 - 55.3 Notes: 1. The following costs are excluded from the figures given above: Home Office staff costs; overheads; any related EU funding; areas of expenditure where costs could only be attributed to the removals process at disproportionate cost; and the cost of escorting foreign nationals within the UK to a port of departure where such costs could only be identified at disproportionate cost. 2. Due to changes in the structure of the Home Office group (the Departmental boundary), data prior to 2009-10 is not available except at disproportionate cost.

British Nationality

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce legislative proposals to prevent anyone who has entered or stayed illegally in the UK being granted British citizenship.

James Brokenshire: pplicants for naturalisation need to meet the statutory requirements in the British Nationality Act 1981 which specify that a person must not have been in breach of the Immigration Rules during the required residential qualifying period.In addition, a person is required to be of good character. If a person meets these requirements, the Home Secretary may, if she thinks fit, grant a certificate of naturalisation. We have recently substantially strengthened our policy on both the good character and residence requirements. Our revised policy on good character makes it clear that entering the UK illegally or evading immigration control will usually mean that a person is prevented from acquiring citizenship for a period of 10 years. In terms of assessing the residence requirements, new guidance has been published on how the Home Secretary will exercise her discretion. We will no longer overlook lengthy periods of unlawful residence, as was the case under previous governments. Whereas previously discretion would have been exercised in cases where a person who deliberately entered or remained in the UK without permission had attempted to regularise their stay by making an application to the Home Office, we will no longer tolerate this. We will normally only exercisediscretion to overlook periods of unlawful residence if they are short and genuinely inadvertent or outside the applicant’s control.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many international students living and studying in the UK have not had their passports returned to them by the Passport Office in time to travel abroad before Christmas 2014.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 05 January 2015



In January 2014 UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) introduced a new set of service standards for fee-paying in-country applications.Applications from Tier 4 students will be completed within 8 weeks of application provided that the customer has complied with application requirements and has provided the necessary documentation.Since January, UKVI has processed over 98% of in-country Tier 4 student applications within the 8 week service standard.Students that applied in good time and complied with all application requirements could therefore have expected to receive their passports back before Christmas 2014.

Offences against Children

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the satisfactoriness of the police's historic record of investigating allegations of child abuse.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to increase the (a) reporting, (b) detection and (c) prosecution of child abuse.

Lynne Featherstone: Child abuse is an abhorrent crime no matter when or where it occurs. The Government is clear that if child abuse takes place, it must be thoroughly and properly investigated, and those responsible are arrested and brought to justice. It is vital that victims feel empowered to come forward to report abuseAll chief constables have committed to a policing action plan that aims to raise the standards in tackling child sexual exploitation so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young people. The National Policing Lead for child protection and abuse investigation has taken action to revise the action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report in Rotherham and other recent publications. The Home Secretary has written to all chief constables to ask them to take on board the lessons from the Jay report into the failings in Rotherham, and from the rolling HMIC inspections into how forces are protecting children.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the College of Policing have issued guidance for police in relation to child abuse and exploitation. The guidance aims to move the focus of investigations away from testing the credibility of victims onto the credibility of the allegation and ensuring victims are listened to by the police. In addition, a joint National Policing Lead and CPS review panel was established last year. The national panel re-examines historical cases of sexual abuse where a decision was made that no further action would be taken and identify whether any issues require further exploration and investigation.We must never accept a situation where police forces and other agencies fail in their fundamental duty of care towards vulnerable children.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on a minimum alcohol unit price.

Lynne Featherstone: Minimum Unit Pricing remains a policy under consideration but is not being taken forward at this time, while we continue to monitor the legal developments and the implementation of this policy in Scotland. In May 2014 we introduced a ban on alcohol sales below the cost of duty plus VAT. This fulfilled the Coalition Government's commitment and will stop the worst cases of very cheap and harmful alcohol sales.

Crime

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to address the drivers of crime.

Lynne Featherstone: Crime is down by more than a fifth under this Government, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. We are addressing the key drivers of crime by reshaping our approach to alcohol; tackling illicit and harmful drug use; taking action in a number of areas to stop young people getting involved in crime; and closing off opportunities to commit crimes, for example, by legislating on metal theft.We have also established the Crime and Policing Knowledge Hub to improve our understanding of crime trends and the drivers of crime. At the end of the month the Home Office will also host the first International Crime and Policing Conference to bring together leading academics and law enforcement professionals to further understand the drivers of crime and our response.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the status is of members of the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 08 January 2015



The Home Secretary has said that the Inquiry should have the power to compel witnesses. The panel members are continuing with their work while a decision is made on how best to achieve this.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what undertakings she gave to members of the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse regarding the longevity of their appointments when she (a) first appointed and (b) last met them.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 08 January 2015



Appointments to the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse were made for the duration of the Inquiry ending when the Inquiry Panel finally reports, unless terminated before that date. The Home Secretary met with Panel members on 15 December to update them on her discussions with survivors of child sexual abuse and what this might mean for the Inquiry.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she last met members of the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse; and if she will publish the minutes of that meeting.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 08 January 2015



The Home Secretary met with Panel members on 15 December to update them on her discussions with survivors of child sexual abuse and what this might mean for the Inquiry. As this was a private meeting, the minutes will not be published.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the status is of the evidence gathered to date by the members of the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 08 January 2015



The Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has had a number of meetings with survivors, although we understand it has not taken evidence at these meetings. The Home Secretary has asked the Panel to report on the work done to date.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to make further appointments to the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 08 January 2015



After holding a series of meetings with survivors and their representatives, the Home Secretary is currently considering the options for the Panel and will make an announcement shortly.

India

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations the Indian Diaspora Champion has made concerning proposed reductions of UK visa staff in Mumbai.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has no record of any representations made by the Indian Diaspora Champion concerning this matter. The changes planned by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) relate to the decision making function for applications and will not affect customers applying for their visas or the service UKVI offers.

Drugs: USA

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 217748, what assessment she has made of the implications for UK policy of the comments by William Brownfield on UN drug control conventions; and whether the Government plans to support the policy position expressed in those comments at international forums and the UN General Assembly.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 09 January 2015



The Coalition Government promotes a balanced and evidence-based approach to drug policy within the UN drug control conventions. As Ambassador Brownfield made clear, it is important that the international community respects the integrity of UN conventions in this area. We will continue to champion our balanced drug strategy, which since 2010 has focused on reducing demand, restricting supply, and building recovery. This includes at international forums, including the forthcoming UN General Assembly Special Session on drugs in 2016.

Entry Clearances: Bangladesh

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications were submitted in Bangladesh in 2013.

James Brokenshire: The total number of visa applications submitted in Bangladesh in 2013 was 27,250.

Offences against Children: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on co-ordination of inquiries into historic child sexual abuse.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Secretary has spoken with her ministerial colleagues in the Scottish Government about coordination of their Inquiry with the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales. The details of how this will work in practice will be a matter for the Inquiry to determine going forward.

Domestic Violence

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on making domestic violence a specific criminal offence.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 12 January 2015



The Government is committed to ensuring that the police and other frontline agencies have the tools they need to respond effectively to domestic violence and abuse. We launched an eight week consultation last August to ask whether the law around domestic abuse needs to be strengthened and subsequently announced we would create a specific offence of domestic abuse which captures coercive and controlling behaviour. The offence will be introduced as a Government amendment to the Serious Crime Bill and will impose a maximum five years imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Staff

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2014 to Question 216266, what the total cost of employing non-frontline staff in her Department has been in each of the past four years.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 12 January 2015



The total salary cost of employing non-frontline staff in the Home Department for the past 3 years is set out in Table 1. The comparative cost for frontline staff is also included. The Home Office did not collect this data prior to March 2012. 



Table - PQ 220058 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.96 KB)

Gang Injunctions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many gang injunctions have been granted in each of the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 12 January 2015



The Home Office does not collect data on the number of gang injunctions granted. Gang injunctions are used by local areas to prevent gang-related violence and records are held locally. The "Review of the operation of injunctions to prevent gang-related violence", published in January 2014, included information from 25 of the 33 Ending Gang and Youth Violence areas; showing that between January 2011 and January 2014, 108 gang injunctions had been put in place. Of these, two were taken out against young people under 18s. This review is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278786/ReviewInjunctionsGangRelatedViolence.pdf Note - the figures in the review were subsequently updated after an error was found in the data due to the number of gang injunctions reported by one area being revised from 2 to 22.

Driving under Influence

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) arrested and (b) charged for driving under the influence of alcohol in December 2014.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office does not collect information to this level of detail. The Home Office collects arrest data for notifiable offences at offence group level. Drink-driving is a non-notifiable offence code. The latest arrest statistics cover the period up to March 2013.CPS collect data on charges, however they collect data on the number of offences leading to charges, rather than the number of people charged.

Travellers

Mr David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219411, what policy considerations led to the decision to retain the Census 2001 framework.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Crime Prevention

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the current number of police officers employed as crime prevention officers; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Housing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fines relating to performance have been levied on providers of the COMPASS service in each of the past two years; how many such fines were levied on each provider in each year; what those fines were for; and what the amount was of each fine.

James Brokenshire: The COMPASS contract includes terms for monitoring and measuring performance against required standards. If the standards are not met then the Home Office will take action to apply Service Credits in accordance with the agreed contractual arrangements. A ‘Service Credit’ is a rebate / money deducted from the monthly invoice.There were 48 service credits recovered from providers of the COMPASS accommodation, of which 39 were recovered in 2013 and 9 recovered in 2014 (up to November). The service credits were issued to providers for not meeting requirements under accommodation standards, dispersal within the timescale and management of the complaint service. We are unable to provide an individual cost for each service credit. The total amount of Service Credits recovered in the period outlined above is £5,942,147.03.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to introduce the use of drunk tanks by the police to alleviate pressure on A&E departments at weekends.

Lynne Featherstone: Holding answer received on 12 January 2015



The Government is taking a wide range of action to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder and has increased the powers available to police and local authorities. We are supporting innovative action at a local level and it is up to local authorities and agencies, including the police, to decide what works best in their area, using the powers available. The term "drunk tank" is used in a variety of ways. In some areas, local agencies have already set up centres whose aims include the reduction of pressure on health and ambulance services. However, the Government has no plans to introduce legislation on new forms of police detention.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Brazil

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Brazilian government in relation to protection for Laisa Santos Samaio; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: Her Majesty's Government has not made specific representations to the Brazilian government relating to Laísa Santos Sampaio, who has remained in the Brazilian government’s national protection programme for human rights defenders since November 2012. This programme receives UK support through EU-funded projects with the Brazilian Human Rights Secretariat. We are also active participants in the annual Brazil-EU Human Rights Dialogue which covers a range of human rights issues, including the protection of human rights defenders.

Diplomatic Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of British Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the G20 countries were educated at (a) private school, (b) state school, (c) the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and (d) other universities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There is no requirement for British Ambassadors and High Commissioners to supply this information. The details we do have indicate that of the 19 British Ambassadors and High Commissioners to G20 countries (ie. the 19 other countries not including the UK):a) 6 attended private school;b) 7 attended state school;c) 11 attended Oxford and Cambridge universities; andd) 3 attended other universities. There are 6 occasions where no school information is provided. There are 5 occasions where no university information is provided.

Mexico

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Mexican government about human rights in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: We regularly discuss human rights with the Mexican authorities, through our Embassy in Mexico and at Ministerial level. During my visit to Mexico in November, I discussed the human rights situation. I have also subsequently raised the issue with visiting Mexican Ministerial counterparts.

Sudan

Mr William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Sudan on the legal status and detention of Dr. Amin Mekki Medani, Farouk Abu Eissa and Farah Ibrahim Mohamed Algar.

Mr Hugo Swire: Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum have made representations to the Government of Sudan about the detention of Dr. Amin Mekki Medani, Farouk Abu Eissa and Farah Ibrahim Mohamed al-Agar. Additionally, we issued a statement with our Troika partners (the United States and Norway) on 23 December calling for their immediate release.

Cuba

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent meetings he has had with representatives of the Cuban government.

Mr Hugo Swire: I visited Cuba from 29 October to 1 November and met Cuban Vice-President Cabrisas, Foreign Minister Rodriguez and Trade and Investment Minister Malmierca. I also met the Cuban Deputy Ministers for agriculture, energy, trade and investment, tourism, health and foreign affairs. In my meetings, I discussed our bilateral relationship, including issues related to trade and investment, foreign affairs, human rights, tourism and co-operation in the fight against Ebola. I also signed three Memoranda of Understanding with the Cuban Government, covering foreign policy, trade and investment and sport. I agreed that a British trade delegation should visit Cuba later this year to explore opportunities for foreign investors to help with Cuba’s economic development.

North Korea

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the persecution of Christians in North Korea.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are deeply concerned by reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), particularly by the reports of the persecution of Christians detailed by the UN Commission of Inquiry and elsewhere. We have called on the DPRK to respect the provision in its constitution guaranteeing “freedom of belief in religion”. Our belief is that if the DPRK will not hold human rights violators to account, the international community must be ready to do so. We worked with likeminded partners to ensure the resolutions adopted at the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly included strong language to make clear there can be no impunity for human rights violations and to call for appropriate action to ensure accountability.

Democratic Republic of Congo

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take in response to the shooting of the Northern Irish missionary, Ms Maud Kells OBE, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr Hugo Swire: We were very concerned to hear about the shooting of a British national in the Democratic Republic of Congo. FCO officials in London and the Democratic Republic of Congo are providing consular assistance. The Government will continue to provide assistance and seek updates from the local authorities who are investigating.

Religious Freedom

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to prevent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities overseas.

Mr David Lidington: Freedom of religion or belief is a key thematic human rights priority for this Government. We regularly urge governments at senior levels to uphold the rights of all minorities; work to build international consensus on freedom of religion or belief in multilateral bodies such as the UN; and support practical projects on community dialogue with civil society and faith groups. Taking Pakistan as an example of our bilateral engagement, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised our concerns about Pakistan’s blasphemy law with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 5 December.

Sudan

Mr William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received any reports from the government of Sudan regarding the legal status and detention of Dr Amin Mekki Medani, Farouk Abu Eissa and Farah Ibrahim Mohamed Alagar.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have not received any reports from the Government of Sudan on the legal status and detention of Dr Amin Mekki Medani, Farouk Abu Eissa and Farah Ibrahim Mohamed Alagar. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum have been told by the detainees’ legal team that they remain under arrest but have not been charged. Our officials will keep monitoring their cases.

Kashmir

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will provide support to civilians in the Kashmir region affected by the recent violence between Pakistani and Indian troops.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are concerned about the incidents that have taken place in recent weeks on both sides of the Line of Control and the International Border in Kashmir. We encourage both sides to take steps to reduce tensions. We are monitoring the situation. We have not received a request from either government for assistance.

AirAsia

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to support the families of people who died in the recent AirAsia plane crash.

Mr Hugo Swire: Following confirmation that a British national was aboard flight QZ8501, consular staff from the British Embassy in Indonesia and British High Commission in Singapore, together with consular and press office staff from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, have been working together to ensure that the family receive all the support they need during this difficult time. Staff met family members in Singapore and accompanied them during meetings with the airline and authorities in Surabaya, Indonesia. Consular staff remain in close contact and continue to offer our full support.

Thalidomide

Sir George Young: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to support the petition from British survivors of thalidomide damage to the EU Commissioner for Health and MEPs which seeks to secure a fair level of compensation for the costs and losses arising from the damage done to them by thalidomide.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in frequent contact with the Thalidomide Trust, and is assisting the Trust in arranging meetings with the relevant German authorities on behalf of British survivors of thalidomide. We are ready to consider similar requests for assistance in lobbying at EU level.

Ilois

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken to ensure that the Chagossians are taken to the Chagos Islands as soon as possible, since the cancellation by his Department of their scheduled annual trip in November 2014.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are committed to the Chagossians visiting the British Indian Ocean Territory in April 2015. BIOT Administration officials judge that this is the earliest time that safety concerns caused by mechanical problems on board the BIOT Administration's vessel will be satisfactorily addressed, and the logistics of such a complex trip completed. Additionally, the community leaders are working with us to reallocate the funds set aside for the postponed 2014 visit to community projects.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when and for what reasons permission was given to representatives of the Zoological Society of London to travel to the Chagos Islands.

Mr Hugo Swire: On 14 October 2014, the Administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) granted permission for a consortium of scientists, led by representatives of the Zoological Society of London, to undertake an expedition to BIOT (which includes the Chagos Archipelago) in January 2015. The purpose of this expedition, now underway, is to conduct observations on the pelagic ecology within BIOT’s marine protected area. The BIOT Administration is committed to promoting research that increases scientific understanding and informs global conservation efforts, and has identified the documentation of pelagic ecosystems as a priority.

Northern Ireland Office

Parades Commission

Dr William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost to her Department was of the Parades Commission in 2013-14.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: The figure for PCNI expenditure for 2013-14 as reported in the 2013-14 Northern Ireland Office Annual Report was £1,014,000.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Construction: Industry

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish any recent assessment he has made of compliance with the Construction Supply Chain Payment Charter.

Nick Boles: The Construction Supply Chain Payment Charter was published in April and publicly supported by members of the Construction Leadership Council.   Signing up to the Payment Charter is a voluntary commitment. We are currently consulting on a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which construction businesses signing the Charter will report on, via the Institute of Credit Management. The KPIs are being developed in order to have a framework in place to monitor the effect of the Charter.

Construction: Industry

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) co-ordination, (b) efficiency and (c) improvements to productivity within the construction industry.

Nick Boles: The Industrial Strategy for Construction, Construction 2025, was published in July 2013; it sets out a vision of where the industry will be in 2025 and the steps that are needed to get there. This is being taken forward in partnership with the industry through the Construction Leadership Council.   Achieving the four key ambitions of the strategy - reducing initial cost of construction and the whole-life cost of assets; reducing overall time from inception to completion; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and reducing the trade gap between total exports and total imports - will improve the efficiency and the productivity of the industry.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time (i) UK and (ii) other EU students started undergraduate higher education courses in England in (A) 2013-14 and (B) 2014-15.

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many additional students entered higher education in 2014-15 as a result of the increase in the cap on student numbers announced in the 2014 Autumn Statement.

Greg Clark: Statistics on the number of students starting higher education courses in academic year 2013/14 are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. The data can be secured at the following link. https://www.hesa.ac.uk   The Higher Education Statistics Agency will publish data on Higher Education entrants and enrolments for 2014/15 in January 2016.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the number of additional students that will enter higher education in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18 as a result of the removal of the cap on student numbers.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the additional costs of (a) the face value of student loans, (b) the resource costs of student loans, (c) teaching grant through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, (d) maintenance grant that will arise from the removal of the cap on student numbers.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received from universities about the future viability of Initial Teacher Training courses and university education departments.

Greg Clark: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Postal Services: Harrow

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on mail volumes to the universal service provider in the HA postcode area of London of end-to-end competition; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Parliament gave Ofcom, as an independent regulator for postal services, the powers and tools it needs to assess the effects of competition on the provision of the universal service and to take appropriate action if the universal service is ever found to be at risk from competition.   Ofcom has an effective monitoring regime in place, which includes a notification condition requiring end-to-end competitors to inform them of plans relating to delivery volumes.   Ofcom recently reviewed and assessed all the evidence on competition in the postal market and concluded that the universal postal service is not under any current threat from the effects of competition. It will however continue to track Royal Mail’s performance and ongoing developments in the market. More information about Ofcom’s regulatory regime can be found on its website (www.ofcom.org.uk).

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans for the Skills Funding Agency to have a data sharing agreement in place with London Work Programme providers so that referrals to Skills support for Work Programme participants in Employment can commence.

Nick Boles: The specification for this programme was approved by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP); however data protection issues emerged after contracts were issued. The Agency is working with DWP to tackle these challenges, and a learner consent form was issued to DWP Work Programme providers in November 2014. While this has enabled the sharing of data, referrals have not increased as expected. The Agency is urgently discussing further solutions with DWP to secure a satisfactory resolution.

Department for International Development

Land Mines

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government provides for landmine clearance in former war zones; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK spent £13,000,000 on humanitarian mine action in the financial year 2013/14. The highest levels of spend were in Afghanistan (£1.7m), Iraq (£1.7m), Somalia (£1.4m), Sri Lanka (£1.5m) and Cambodia (£1.4m). The government has allocated £30m for Mine Action work for 2014-17.   The threat from landmines and explosive remnants of war prevents people from using agricultural land and accessing essential services, such as health and education, hampers freedom of movement, prevents the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons and refugees and obstructs the delivery of humanitarian aid. For over 20 years, the UK has supported some of the poorest countries around the world to clear landmines and explosive remnants of war after conflict.

Syria

Mr Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the relief effort in Syria.

Justine Greening: To date, the UK has pledged £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region. Our support has reached hundreds of thousands of people across all 14 governorates of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, with food, access to water, medical relief, shelter and other relief items. The UK continues to spearhead efforts to improve the effectiveness of this international response, including lobbying for better UN leadership and increased in-country capacity.

Public Expenditure

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's expenditure was (a) fiscal and (b) non-fiscal spending in each of the last five years.

Justine Greening: Year% fiscal% non-fiscal2009/10100%0%2010/11100%0%2011/12100%0%2012/1399%1%2013/1499%1%

International Climate Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what amount from the funds allocated by her Department to the International Climate Fund has been disbursed in each year since that fund's inception.

Justine Greening: DFID has allocated £2.4bn to the International Climate Fund (ICF) between financial years 2011/12 and 2015/2016. DFID’s disbursement in each completed financial year is shown in the table below.   Financial YearDFID ICF Disbursement2011/12£252m2012/13£312m2013/14£357m

Public Expenditure

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 169 of her Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14, what the equivalent value of Departmental Expenditure Limit Capital was in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Justine Greening: The Department for International Development Departmental Expenditure Limit Capital expenditure for 2009/10 to 2011/12 is set out in the table below. YearCapital DEL 2009/101.4m2010/111.6m2011/121.6m

Department for Education

Pre-school Education

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free early years education places were provided in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) each London borough and (c) England in each year since 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The tables below provide the number of children in receipt of funded early education provision in each London borough and in England from 2010 to 2014. The variation between areas will reflect local demand. Information at constituency level is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.Number of 3- and 4-year-olds benefitting from funded early education places2010 to 2014Position at January 20102011201220132014  England1,186,3651,224,4651,264,4161,283,4971,299,908  Camden4,0604,0603,9004,0904,050City of London806080100100Hackney6,3606,6406,7006,9707,140Hammersmith and Fulham4,0304,0804,1104,1304,050Haringey5,9106,0006,2106,2406,190Islington4,1304,4804,5504,5404,460Kensington and Chelsea2,7202,7402,7002,7302,740Lambeth6,5506,9307,0307,1507,110Lewisham6,4806,8707,1607,4507,390Newham8,8709,2609,6609,7509,710Southwark6,8506,6206,5706,9707,030Tower Hamlets6,2706,5306,5806,7806,940Wandsworth6,8707,0907,2807,4707,480Westminster3,8603,7803,8903,8103,750Barking and Dagenham5,3005,8506,3606,6906,760Barnet8,2208,2208,7308,8909,140Bexley5,5105,7206,0006,0806,140Brent6,6907,0507,3907,7308,070Bromley7,2007,5407,8408,1108,300Croydon8,6709,3209,7109,7809,710Ealing8,4208,7309,1109,4009,380Enfield7,5707,9308,4608,6208,680Greenwich6,8707,3307,3907,3307,410Harrow4,8605,1405,4005,6805,910Havering5,0605,3405,6105,7505,870Hillingdon6,9907,3207,6707,9908,240Hounslow5,5605,8606,3806,7506,940Kingston upon Thames3,5803,8504,1204,2204,250Merton5,0905,3905,7805,7505,760Redbridge7,3807,9208,2008,3408,520Richmond upon Thames4,7805,2005,3905,4605,680Sutton4,2504,4404,6104,8104,960Waltham Forest6,6907,0107,3407,4107,500  Count of children aged 3 and 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year. Any child attending more than one provider will have only been counted once. Totals are rounded to the nearest 10.  Number of 2-year-olds benefitting from funded early education places2014Position at January  2014  England86,637  Camden240  City of London0  Hackney460  Hammersmith and Fulham190  Haringey330  Islington300  Kensington and Chelsea160  Lambeth400  Lewisham440  Newham530  Southwark590  Tower Hamlets270  Wandsworth370  Westminster230  Barking and Dagenham680  Barnet490  Bexley410  Brent330  Bromley400  Croydon490  Ealing430  Enfield730  Greenwich390  Harrow340  Havering420  Hillingdon390  Hounslow350  Kingston upon Thames170  Merton260  Redbridge420  Richmond upon Thames160  Sutton190  Waltham Forest440  Count of children aged 2 at 31 December in the previous calendar year.Any child attending more than one provider will have only been counted once.Totals are rounded to the nearest 10.

History: Curriculum

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what aspects of nineteenth century and twentieth century (a) British and (b) world history are mandatory in the history curriculum in each key stage.

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that study of the (a) First World War and (b) Second World War is made mandatory in the history curriculum.

Mr Nick Gibb: The requirements for the mandatory history curriculum in maintained schools in England are available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-history-programmes-of-study. A copy of this document is also available in the House Library.  Maintained schools must teach 11-14 year-olds the challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world from 1901 to the present day. In addition to studying the Holocaust, this can include the First World War and the Peace Settlement, and the Second World War and the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many trainee secondary school chemistry, physics and mathematics teachers there are in each region of England.

Mr David Laws: The Department for Education publishes information on the number of trainee secondary school chemistry, physics and mathematics teachers as part of the initial teacher training (ITT) statistical first release[1] at a national level on an annual basis. The Department intends to publish this information at provider level, which will include an aggregation at the regional level, in the summer. This information will then be incorporated into future ITT statistical first releases.  [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2014-to-2015

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish her Department's quality grade of academy sponsors.

Mr Edward Timpson: The disclosure of this information would prejudice, or would be likely to prejudice, the effective conduct of public affairs.

Students: Surveys

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the National College of Teaching and Leadership has withdrawn Initial Teacher Training students from future National Student Surveys.

Mr David Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) decided to discontinue financial contributions to the National Student Survey (NSS) to focus resources on the annual survey of newly qualified teachers. This survey is more in-depth and specific to initial teacher training than the NSS and provides valuable information about the quality of initial teacher training and how well that training has prepared newly qualified teachers for specific aspects of teaching. Since making this decision, NCTL has agreed to continue funding for a further year, to ensure time for a smooth transition to alternative arrangements, should the sector wish to continue receiving feedback through the National Student Survey.

Teachers: South West

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school teachers in each parliamentary constituency in the South West have a science degree.

Mr David Laws: The following table provides the headcount number and percentage of all regular teachers[1] in service in primary schools in each constituency in the South West with a degree in a science subject in November 2013. This is the latest information available.Name of ConstituencyNumber of teachersWith science degree[2]Number of teachers with a qualification recorded[3]Percentage with a scienceQualification Confidence interval[4]Percentage of teachers with qualificationrecordedBath243197.5+/-2.996.1Bournemouth East3633610.7+/-3.394.9Bournemouth West333549.3+/-3.098.3Bridgwater and West Somerset323908.2+/-2.797.5Bristol East313957.8+/-2.792.9Bristol North West5446611.6+/-2.992.8Bristol South434848.9+/-2.593.8Bristol West4542310.6+/-2.989.1Camborne and Redruth253437.3+/-2.891.5Central Devon4541110.9+/-3.097.2Cheltenham373969.3+/-2.999.7Chippenham4846010.4+/-2.895.4Christchurch182128.5+/-3.897.7Devizes4442610.3+/-2.995.5East Devon363749.6+/-3.098.4Exeter4340610.6+/-3.099.0Filton and Bradley Stoke404199.5+/-2.897.9Forest of Dean333858.6+/-2.896.0Gloucester465468.4+/-2.396.6Kingswood353928.9+/-2.898.7Mid Dorset and North Poole272739.9+/-3.596.8Newton Abbot3434110.0+/-3.297.7North Cornwall4238211.0+/-3.193.4North Devon5745512.5+/-3.096.4North Dorset343719.2+/-2.997.6North East Somerset4441610.6+/-3.096.1North Somerset4738112.3+/-3.393.8North Swindon384837.9+/-2.495.5North Wiltshire383879.8+/-3.096.5Plymouth, Moor View354487.8+/-2.597.2Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport313608.6+/-2.994.2Poole303139.6+/-3.399.1Salisbury3736610.1+/-3.194.6Somerton and Frome414239.7+/-2.898.4South Dorset282959.5+/-3.397.0South East Cornwall283518.0+/-2.892.6South Swindon415088.1+/-2.494.8South West Devon4037010.8+/-3.296.4South West Wiltshire4140810.0+/-2.993.2St. Austell and Newquay293767.7+/-2.791.7St. Ives323728.6+/-2.889.4Stroud5348011.0+/-2.896.0Taunton Deane484849.9+/-2.799.8Tewkesbury414329.5+/-2.896.9The Cotswolds324297.5+/-2.596.8Thornbury and Yate4835113.7+/-3.698.9Tiverton and Honiton5544512.4+/-3.196.5Torbay343998.5+/-2.796.8Torridge and West Devon404069.9+/-2.997.6Totnes4134212.0+/-3.499.1Truro and Falmouth4333612.8+/-3.694.4Wells333868.5+/-2.898.5West Dorset233546.5+/-2.697.0Weston-Super-Mare4543410.4+/-2.993.5Yeovil444499.8+/-2.898.5Total South West2,10221,7439.7+/-0.495.9Total England18,795227,5138.3+/-0.195.5   Source: School Workforce Census[1] Includes qualified and unqualified teachers.[2] Includes teachers with a first or higher science degree but excluding those with a science PGCE where no record of a science degree exists and those with a BEd in sciences.[3] Those recorded with a qualification in any subject, (the total in the sample from which the rate is calculated).[4] The range within which we can be 95% confident that the true value exists.

Grammar Schools: Admissions

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children (a) in receipt of free school meals, (b) with a statement of special educational needs, (c) from a BME community and (d) looked after by a local authority received a place in a grammar school in each of the last five years.

Mr David Laws: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Bail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been collected in sureties when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given on their behalf before bail was granted in each of the last three years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 October 2014.The correct answer should have been:

The following surety monies have been collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given before bail was granted: 1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014: £247,834.461 April 2012 – 31 March 2013: £739,192.351 April 2011 – 31 March 2012: £433,398.54 The value of bail monies forfeited in 2013-14 is lower than the value of forfeitures in 2012-13 due to a lower number of bail terms being breached. The following surety monies have been collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given before bail was granted:1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014: £14,251.101 April 2012 – 31 March 2013: £16,952.501 April 2011 – 31 March 2012: £57,771.86A surety is a promise (by a third party) to pay a sum of money should a defendant fail to surrender to the court when ordered to do so. Where a bail surety is agreed as a condition of bail and the defendant subsequently fails to attend, the court can make an order to forfeit all or part of these sums. Unpaid sureties are subject to enforcement action in the same way as unpaid fines.The value of sureties collected in 2011-12 was particularly high due to a higher than usual number of defendants failing to surrender to the court when ordered to do so following the period of civil unrest in August 2011.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The following surety monies have been collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given before bail was granted: 1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014: £247,834.461 April 2012 – 31 March 2013: £739,192.351 April 2011 – 31 March 2012: £433,398.54 The value of bail monies forfeited in 2013-14 is lower than the value of forfeitures in 2012-13 due to a lower number of bail terms being breached. The following surety monies have been collected when defendants breached their bail conditions and a surety had been given before bail was granted:1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014: £14,251.101 April 2012 – 31 March 2013: £16,952.501 April 2011 – 31 March 2012: £57,771.86A surety is a promise (by a third party) to pay a sum of money should a defendant fail to surrender to the court when ordered to do so. Where a bail surety is agreed as a condition of bail and the defendant subsequently fails to attend, the court can make an order to forfeit all or part of these sums. Unpaid sureties are subject to enforcement action in the same way as unpaid fines.The value of sureties collected in 2011-12 was particularly high due to a higher than usual number of defendants failing to surrender to the court when ordered to do so following the period of civil unrest in August 2011.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for legal aid the Director of Legal Aid Casework has (a) granted and (b) refused for adoption cases in (i) Wales and (ii) Newport East constituency.

Mr Shailesh Vara: In the financial year 2013/14, there were 449 applications for Legal Aid funding for adoption proceedings in Wales. Of these, 439 have been granted, and none have been refused to date. None of these applications were received from the constituency of Newport East. In determining this response, location has been determined according to the location of the office of the provider of Legal Aid.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2014 to Questions 208711 and 208714, for what reason there were releases in error where the offence is listed as Unknown in Table 1.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2014 to Questions 208711 and 208714, what the offences listed under the category Other in Table 1 were.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2014 to Questions 208711 and 208714, how many of the outstanding absconders in Table 3 who were released from prison in error were returned to custody.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2014 to Questions 208711 and 208714, how many offenders in each offence category in 2013-14 in Table 1 have not been returned to custody; and how much of each such offender's sentence was left to serve.

Andrew Selous: Releases in error are infrequent events with errors occurring in less than 1 in a 1000 releases. They are all taken seriously and each case is subject to investigation with follow up-action taken to tighten processes. The following table shows the reason for release in error for those incidents listed in table 1 of the answer of 21 October 2014 where the prisoner has an offence type of “unknown”. REASON2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14BAIL CONDITION NOT APPLIED10000CALCULATION ERROR00002ERROR AT COURT12033FAIL TO APPEAR WARRANT OVERLOOKED20000IDENTITY ISSUE10000MISFILED WARRANT11013RECALL ISSUE11002RELEASE CONDITION NOT MET00001REMAND ISSUE00100UNCLEAR10001UNRESOLVED IMMIGRATION ISSUES00005 The following table shows the specific offences that are included in the category “Other” for each year in table 1 of the answer of 21 October 2014. Year Original offence of prisoner released in error.2009/10 AWAITING EXTRADITION2009/10 FAIL TO SURRENDER2009/10 VIOLENT DISORDER2009/10 BREACH SOPO2009/10 CRIMINAL DAMAGE2009/10 OTHER2009/10 HOLDING WARRANT2009/10 NON PAYMENT OF COUNCIL TAX2010/11 FINE2010/11 POSSESSION OFFENSIVE WEAPON2010/11 OFFENSIVE COMMUNICATION2010/11 FAIL TO SURRENDER2010/11 ARSON2010/11 FAIL TO SURRENDER2010/11 IMMIGRATION DETAINEE2010/11 AFFRAY2010/11 MALICIOUS CALLS2010/11 DAMAGE2010/11 BREACH BAIL2010/11 BREACH RESTRAINING ORDER2010/11 FTA2010/11 FAIL TO SURRENDER2011/12 EXCESS ALC2011/12 BREACH CSO2011/12 ENTERING INTO ILLEGAL CONTRACT2011/12 USING THREATENING ABUSIVE ETC2011/12 POSS OFFENSIVE WEAPON2011/12 BREACH CSO2011/12 BREACH ORDER2011/12 FAIL TO SURRENDER2011/12 BREACH SUSPENDED SENTENCE2011/12 BREACH LICENCE2011/12 POSS OFFENSIVE WEAPON2011/12 BREACH MOLESTATION ORDER2011/12 FAIL TO SURRENDER2011/12 HOLDING WARRANT2012/13 CHILD CRUELTY2012/13 POSSESSION OF PROHIBITED FIREARM2012/13 DESTROY/DAMAGE PROPERTY2012/13 OFFENSIVE WEAPON2012/13 SHOPLIFTING COMMON ASSAULT2012/13 BREACH OF SUPERVISION ORDER2013/14 IMMIGRATION DETAINEE2013/14 POSSESSION OFFENSIVE WEAPON2013/14 MONEY LAUNDERING2013/14 FINES2013/14 CRIMINAL DAMAGE2013/14 BREACH RESTRAINING ORDER2013/14 ABSCOND2013/14 CRIMINAL DAMAGE2013/14 DEATH BY CARELESS DRIVING2013/14 DETAINEE2013/14 BREACH OF BAIL CONDITIONS2013/14 THREATENING TO KILL  The following table shows the number of offenders not returned to custody as of 20 November 2014 by offence type for those releases in error shown in table 1 of the answer of 21 October 2014. Offence TypeNumber not returned to custody (as of 20 October 2014)Burglary1Other Offences2Not known/not recorded4 For the 7 offenders remaining at large as of 20th November 2014, the table below shows how much of each such offender's sentence was left to serve. Offender Period left to serve of custodial periodHMP ManchesterNo time left to serve of custodial period – released from IS91**HMP Durham9 days remaining to serveHMP NorwichNo time left to serve of custodial period – released from IS91**HMP DorchesterNo time left to serve of custodial period – released from IS91**HMP Elmley7 days remaining to serveHMP Hull3 days remaining to serveHMP Cardiff1 day remaining to serve **IS91 is an Immigration Detention Warrant to detain a person of interest and is served at the end of the custodial period; once the IS91 is served the person becomes a Detainee. The two cases of release in error listed as “outstanding absconders” in Table 3 of the answer of 21 October 2014 have both been returned to custody.

Prison Service

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what reviews his Department has commissioned on the longevity of prison officers once they have retired from service in the last five years.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for how long on average a retired prison officer draws their pension.

Andrew Selous: The Government Actuary Department have advised that from the data they hold in respect of Civil Service Pensions they are unable to determine for how long on average a retired prison officer draws their pension and seeking to manipulate the data in this way would incur disproportionate cost. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has not commissioned any reviews in the last five years on the longevity of prison officers once they have retired from service.

Hindley Young Offender Institution

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on the future of Hindley Young Offender's Institute.

Andrew Selous: HM Prison and Young Offender Institution Hindley’s role is to hold young adult men (aged between 18 and 21 years) and adult men (aged 21 and older). This ensures that the accommodation at Hindley is used in line with the National Offender Management Service’s Estate strategy, which is to provide the number and type of prison places required by the courts, configure the estate to give best effect to Ministry of Justice strategic policy priorities, support stakeholder objectives, and those of partner organisations and make the best use of taxpayers’ money.

Prisoners on Remand: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many defendants on bail were remanded in custody by courts in North Wales in each of the last five years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Figures are not available for the magistrates’ courts prior to 2013 when 139 defendants were remanded into custody subsequent to being on bail. Figures in the Crown Court are in the table below. The Crown Court  20092010201120122013North Wales3032345236  Magistrates' courts  20092010201120122013North Wales****139

Courts: Buildings

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2014 to Question 215339, how many staff of (a) his Department and (b) external contractors are working on the detailed planning of the court reform programme.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Resourcing for the HMCTS Reform Programme is appropriate for the stage the programme is at. A full resourcing plan is being developed as one of the components of the overall planning currently being undertaken, ahead of full programme mobilising in spring 2015. Current resourcing is allocated from across a number of different areas of MoJ and varies depending on the tasks the Programme is engaged in. External support for the programme is provided via a procured contractual package.

Courts: Fines

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2014 to Question 213487, what the total value is of outstanding financial impositions in each local criminal justice board area.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year. The table below shows the value of financial impositions outstanding as at the end of March 2014; the first column of figures represents the balance outstanding of the impositions made during the 2013/14 financial year and the second shows the total value outstanding regardless of imposition date. The ‘in year outstanding value’ is included within the total outstanding value figure. The ‘value outstanding’ figures include accounts that were not due to be paid by the end of the period specified (either because they were imposed close to the end of the year or because they had payment timescales set by the courts for beyond the end of the financial year) and those that were being paid by instalments on agreed payment plans. These figures include fines, compensation orders, victim surcharge orders and prosecution costs orders. AreaValue outstanding of the impositions made in 2013/14 as at end of March 2014Total value outstanding regardless of imposition date as at the end of March 2014Avon and Somerset£5,619,129£12,553,883Bedfordshire£1,993,428£4,089,206Cambridgeshire£2,703,891£7,038,014Cheshire£3,399,702£9,244,929Cleveland£2,402,047£5,032,666Cumbria£2,640,263£4,375,845Derbyshire£2,510,078£4,900,253Devon and Cornwall£3,156,574£6,884,992Dorset£2,310,086£6,195,513Durham£1,694,578£3,437,278Dyfed Powys£1,655,354£3,339,862Essex£5,109,102£11,727,731Gloucestershire£1,090,372£3,000,161Greater Manchester£13,289,385£36,689,144Gwent£2,469,746£4,921,206Hampshire & IOW£5,702,306£16,166,430Hertfordshire£4,957,126£11,020,506Humberside£3,952,318£10,095,165Kent£7,019,646£18,527,317Lancashire£6,510,390£12,622,950Leicestershire£2,635,809£4,459,648Lincolnshire£2,845,002£5,008,456London Central & South£21,953,798£51,113,995London North East£11,947,473£30,347,785London North West£12,824,734£32,678,929London South West£687,694£13,433,436Merseyside£7,663,814£29,436,895Norfolk£2,617,344£6,313,368North Wales£2,651,292£5,871,714North Yorkshire£1,845,893£3,706,423Northamptonshire£2,402,450£5,079,815Northumbria£6,458,612£14,394,158Nottinghamshire£4,528,741£7,142,505South Wales£7,917,616£12,277,550South Yorkshire£6,124,833£12,989,876Staffordshire£4,494,258£10,973,530Suffolk£2,637,989£6,411,105Surrey£3,171,345£7,425,288Sussex£3,823,916£12,189,588Thames Valley£6,700,496£18,575,082Warwickshire£3,141,110£4,877,725West Mercia£4,537,306£9,479,843West Midlands£11,689,675£30,516,365West Yorkshire£9,630,393£17,079,786Wiltshire£1,826,437£5,165,096

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will assess the potential merits of the appointment of specialist magistrates able to sit at short notice and out-of-hours to expedite eviction orders against illegal Traveller encampments.

Mr Shailesh Vara: It is felt that the current legal framework, including the new powers devolved to local authorities, is sufficient to deal with the problem of illegal traveller encampments. I will, however, keep the situation under review, and my officials will ensure that I am kept informed of any developments.

Reoffenders

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of BME adults in UK prisons have previously been imprisoned in youth offending institutions, by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) ethnicity; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: It is not possible to identify the number of BME adult prisoners in England and Wales who have previously been held in a Young Offender Institution. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Young Offenders

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of BME individuals by (a) age, (b) sex and (c) ethnicity who are excluded from secondary school, are subsequently imprisoned in youth offending institutions; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: The Government is transforming youth custody to put education at the heart of detention and equip young offenders with the skills, qualifications and self-discipline they need to lead productive, law-abiding lives on release. The Government is introducing Secure Colleges, a pioneering approach to youth custody with education and training at the forefront, and more than doubling the amount of hours of education provided in Young Offenders Institutes (YOIs). Information on permanent and fixed period exclusions from school, including a breakdown by type of school, pupil age, sex and ethnicity, is published by the Department for Education. Figures for the academic year 2012 to 2013 can be found in the tables published at the following location:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/338096/SFR28_2014_National_tables.xls. The full publication can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2012-to-2013 However, no information is available to indicate how many of these individuals were subsequently imprisoned in young offender institutions. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Driving: Disqualification

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been for driving while disqualified in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. The Government takes driving offences extremely seriously and wants to ensure that we are doing everything we can to keep our roads safe. That is why we are legislating to increase the maximum penalty for causing death by driving whilst disqualified from two to 10 years, and create a new offence of causing serious injury by driving whilst disqualified. We are also changing the law to allow the commencement of provisions which will ensure that courts must take account of any time in prison in setting the length of a driving disqualification. The number of people found guilty for driving while disqualified in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2013 (the latest data available) can be viewed in the table.Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences relating to driving while disqualified(1), England & Wales, 2009-2013(2)(3)Offence Outcome20092010201120122013Driving while disqualified Proceeded against13,92411,1229,3798,1917,619 Found Guilty13,21710,4658,8697,6767,083 Conviction ratio(4)94.994.194.693.793.0 Sentenced13,26010,5008,9177,6847,099 Of which:  Absolute discharge4743456760 Conditional discharge236143134121119 Fine963895820755795 Community sentence5,6884,4833,6263,0992,580 Suspended sentences2,5582,1111,9241,6391,704 Otherwise dealt with10093684156 Immediate custody3,6682,7322,3001,9621,785 Custody rate(5)27.726.025.825.525.1Average fine (£)267.65246.26278.35283.06284.67 Average custodial sentence length (months)(6)3.33.23.23.13.2   (1) An offence under S 103 (1) of the Road Trafic Act 1988   (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown Court, may be sentenced in the following year. (4) Conviction ratio is calculated as the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings. (5) The proportion of offenders sentenced who are sentenced to immediate custody.  (6) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences.   Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: PQ 220161

Domestic Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Legal Aid Agency introduced a prescribed time period of 24 months for evidence relating to domestic violence cases.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The 24 month time period was set out in the Civil Legal Aid (Procedure) Regulations 2013 which came into force on 1 April 2013. This Government is absolutely clear that victims of domestic violence should receive legal aid where it is needed to help break free from abusive relationships. Since the reforms were introduced last year thousands of people have successfully applied for legal aid where domestic violence is involved. The 24 month time limit for evidence does not exclude victims where the abuse occurred over two years ago. The time limit relates to the date the evidence was obtained, not the date of the abuse itself. Some forms of evidence can be obtained several months or even years after the abuse has been experienced.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to Question 217807, tabled on 9 December 2014, when he plans to answer Question 213688, tabled on 6 November 2014.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I can confirm that Questions 217807 and 213688 were answered on 8 January 2015. The answers can be found at the following links: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=217807 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=213688

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 217822, tabled on 9 December 2014.

Mr Shailesh Vara: I can confirm that Question 217822 was answered on 13 January 2015. The answer can be found at the following link: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2014-12-09/217822/

Ministry of Defence

Christmas Cards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which (a) individuals, (b) companies and (c) other organisations receive Christmas cards from his Department.

Anna Soubry: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.However, I can say that no Ministers sent out Christmas cards at tax payers expense.The Permanent Secretary tells me he sent 35 Christmas cards to civilians serving overseas on operations at Christmas. He paid for the cards personally and sent them through the internal Ministry of Defence mail.

Defence Infrastructure Organisation

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timetable is for the publication of his Department's Footprint Strategy.

Anna Soubry: The revised Footprint Strategy is due to be completed in February 2016 and we anticipate publication soon after completion.

Defence Support Group

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the announcement of the preferred bidder for the Defence Support Group, what the timetable is for agreement between his Department and Babcock on the rationalisation of the estate in order to meet their future plans.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement which I laid in the House on 6 January 2015 (Official Report, Column 9WS) on the sale of the Defence Support Group (DSG) land business to Babcock and signature of a 10-year contract to continue and transform the services DSG currently provides the Army.The commencement of Babcock's contract on 1 April this year will lead a business improvement programme over several years aimed at optimising the output performance of the business. Under the contract and governance arrangements, Babcock will share any estates proposals with the Ministry of Defence on a six-monthly basis. 



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Investment Approvals Board

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times the Investment Approvals Committee met in each of the last three years; and how many proposals that committee was asked to consider.

Mr Philip Dunne: The majority of Investment Approvals Committee business is taken out-of-committee. It has met in-committee on 11 occasions in 2012, seven occasions in 2013 and 10 occasions in 2014.In this period the Investment Approvals Committee considered 300 proposals (all category A investment projects) (93 in 2012, 104 in 2013, 103 in 2014), both in and out of committee.

Defence Assistance Fund

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the size of the Defence Assistance Fund was in each of the last four years; and whether monies from that Fund are being used to support the Defence Language Training Centre.

Mr Mark Francois: The Defence Assistance Fund (DAF) is an internal Ministry of Defence resource used to help to develop and maintain bilateral defence relationships in support of wider UK Government objectives, in line with the International Defence Engagement Strategy published in February 2013. In the current financial year (FY) 2014-15 the DAF totalled £16.558 million. In the preceding three years the totals were as follows: FY2013-14 - £15.635 million; FY2012-13 £12.327million; FY2011-12 - £12.027millionThe Defence Culture and Language Centre (DCLC) is funded by the Defence Academy, an element of Joint Forces Command. No direct funding is received from the DAF, but the DAF is used on occasion to fund attendance at DCLC of international students who require English Language Training prior to joining further military training and education in the UK or before returning to their home country to train others.

Bahrain

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the strategic rationale was for opening a UK military base in Bahrain.

Mr Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement which my right hon Friend the Defence Secretary made to the House on 9 December 2014 (Official Report, column 30WS). 



20141209-WMS UK-Bahrain Defence Arrangement
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Defence Audit Committee

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times the Defence Audit Committee met in each of the last three years.

Mr Mark Francois: The Defence Audit Committee met eight times in Financial Year 2013-14; six times in 2012-13 and five times in 2011-12.

HMS Vengeance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on which dates in 2014 HMS Vengeance was berthed at the Devonport dockyard undergoing refurbishment; and what particular refit was being carried out during that time by Babcock Marine on behalf on his Department.

Mr Philip Dunne: HMS Vengeance has been undergoing a Long Overhaul Period (Refuel) in Devonport Dockyard since March 2012. During this period she was docked from 16 April 2012 to 18 December 2014 and berthed from 18 December 2014 to 31 December 2014 following a successful "flood up".During 2014, HMS Vengeance has had a major overhaul of equipment, including capability upgrades, to underwrite operational service for a further 10 year commission. This has included the refuelling of the nuclear reactor, which was completed in April 2014.

Tanks

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria his Department used in awarding the contract for the next generation of tanks.

Mr Philip Dunne: Holding answer received on 09 January 2015



The Scout Specialist Vehicle contract was awarded to General Dynamics UK Limited in 2010 following an open competition to determine the most economically advantageous tender. The criteria applied were: the demonstration phase programme, the manufacture phase delivery schedule, compliance with system requirements, the initial in-service support package and commercial considerations, including terms and conditions of contract and price. The award of the manufacture phase contract announced in September 2014 was not subject to further evaluation, since this had already been completed as part of the original tender assessment in 2010

Defence Support Group

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has agreed with the Homes and Communities Agency the release of existing Defence Support Group sites for housing.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement which I laid in the House on 6 January 2015 (Official Report, column 9WS) on the sale of the Defence Support Group (DSG) land business to Babcock and signature of a 10-year contract to continue and transform the services DSG currently provides the Army. Any DSG estate which Babcock decides to vacate will be handed back to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), at which stage the MOD will decide the most appropriate use for that estate. This could include potential re-use for Defence purposes. However, as with the potential release of any MOD estate, the Government's targets to increase the land available for housing will be a key consideration.  



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Service Complaints Commissioner

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will introduce a time limit by which investigations undertaken by the Service Complaints Commissioner must be concluded.

Anna Soubry: The current Service Complaints Commissioner does not have the power to undertake investigations. She can refer allegations of a wrong suffered by a current or former Service person to the relevant officer in the chain of command.The Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill before Parliament will, if enacted, permit the newly established Service Complaints Ombudsman to investigate allegations of maladministration in connection with the handling of Service complaints once the internal process is complete. The Bill proposes that the procedure for carrying out an investigation is to be such as the Ombudsman considers appropriate, subject to any regulations made by the Secretary of State. There is no intention to impose a time limit for the conclusion of Ombudsman investigations.In accordance with existing policy, the chain of command, discloses papers to relevant parties as part of the Service complaints process. If the Bill is enacted, the new Ombudsman will have to prepare a report of completed investigations into alleged maladministration, setting out their findings. Recommendations may also be made. A copy of the report will need to be sent to the Defence Council (for the chain of command to respond), the complainant and any other persons who may be specified in Secretary of State regulations. The Ombudsman may also, in accordance with the Bill, send a copy of the report to any person whom they consider appropriate.

Service Complaints Commissioner

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the Service Complaints Commissioner provides full disclosure of complaints and how they are determined to interested parties.

Anna Soubry: The current Service Complaints Commissioner does not have the power to undertake investigations. She can refer allegations of a wrong suffered by a current or former Service person to the relevant officer in the chain of command.The Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Bill before Parliament will, if enacted, permit the newly established Service Complaints Ombudsman to investigate allegations of maladministration in connection with the handling of Service complaints once the internal process is complete. The Bill proposes that the procedure for carrying out an investigation is to be such as the Ombudsman considers appropriate, subject to any regulations made by the Secretary of State. There is no intention to impose a time limit for the conclusion of Ombudsman investigations.In accordance with existing policy, the chain of command, discloses papers to relevant parties as part of the Service complaints process. If the Bill is enacted, the new Ombudsman will have to prepare a report of completed investigations into alleged maladministration, setting out their findings. Recommendations may also be made. A copy of the report will need to be sent to the Defence Council (for the chain of command to respond), the complainant and any other persons who may be specified in Secretary of State regulations. The Ombudsman may also, in accordance with the Bill, send a copy of the report to any person whom they consider appropriate.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding his Department allocated to local authorities for Universal Credit Delivery Partnership agreements in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Mr Mark Harper: Holding answer received on 05 January 2015



 To ensure the right integrated local foundations are established for Universal Credit the Department has and will put in place Delivery Partnership Agreements with local authorities to make available funded support for those who need extra help. We have spent nearly £1 million in 2013/14 and we will report on expenditure for 2014/15 once it has been audited as part of the Department’s annual accounts process. Once this concludes and the accounts are published the information requested can be made available.

Funerals

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that funerals are affordable.

Steve Webb: As the funeral sector is subject to consumer regulation and many crematoriums and burial plots are the responsibility of local authorities my department cannot influence funeral costs. However, it does operate the Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme which continues to provide help towards a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral for those who are eligible. In 2013/14, over 33,000 awards were made worth £44.4 million, with an average award of £1,347. This Government has extended the Budgeting Loan provision to include funeral expenses. This helps where a deposit is required up front, or towards the balance of costs that a Social Fund Funeral Payment cannot meet. This Government has also introduced the measure whereby any arrears of benefit, which were due to the deceased at date of death, are disregarded. This means that such arrears are no longer deducted from the Funeral Payment award.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2014 to Question 217981, if he will revise the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme fund so that people who were diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma before 25 July 2012, or eligible dependents of such people where that eligible person has died, also receive the support provided to eligible people who were diagnosed after that date.

Mr Mark Harper: The eligibility date was set as 25th July 2012 as this was the date that the Government announced it would legislate for a payment scheme, thereby creating a reasonable expectation that eligible people diagnosed with mesothelioma on or after that date would receive a payment. If there was no start date, and the scheme paid people diagnosed in the past, the costs of the scheme would be prohibitively expensive.

Fathers: Child Rearing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on a possible expansion of the men-only relationship classes pilot scheme to other constituent parts of the UK.

Steve Webb: The pilot will provide relationship education to expectant parents within NHS antenatal and postnatal classes to help them prepare for the impact having a baby will have on their relationship. Evidence shows that the transition to parenthood is one of the biggest risk factors leading to separation if the couple is unaware and unprepared for the changes they will experience. Whilst father participation in the pilots will be actively encouraged the education sessions are aimed at both parents. We will appoint an organisation to train NHS staff to deliver the sessions and we plan to advertise the tender opportunity shortly. We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the pilot and the results will inform discussions on whether the approach should be expanded.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 122 of work programme evaluation: operation of the commissioning model, finance and programme delivery, published by his Department on 18 December 2014, for what reasons the performance management approach applied in the Work Programme was replaced by a more prescriptive system.

Esther McVey: The Department is committed to achieving the best possible performance from Work Programme providers and is continually reviewing our approach to performance management. For some providers this may require closer monitoring of performance and increased activity, working with providers to identify the best approach to increased performance.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of differential pricing on provider behaviour in the Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: Under differential pricing, a provider will receive higher levels of funding for supporting a harder to help claimant into work. This incentivises providers to support all claimants Provider performance has improved for many groups which receive higher payments under differential pricing. For instance, of those completing a year on the programme, 1 in 10 ESA New Claimants have had at least three months in work since joining the scheme – this compares to 1 in 25 for the earliest cohorts.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 28 of work programme evaluations: operation of the commissioning model, finance and programme delivery, published by his Department on 18 December 2014, what assessment he has made of the finding that only a small proportion of subcontractors were positive about the commerical attractiveness of their contracts with the primes.

Esther McVey: The payment terms for Work Programme ensures value for money for tax payers: providers are paid for successful outcomes only, which drives our contractors to work harder. Overall the research found that prime providers were broadly positive about the financial model of upfront investment with later reward from outcome and sustainment payments. The research also found that subcontractors are increasingly positive about the financial model. Over two-thirds of subcontractors in 2014 indicated they would sustain or increase their involvement in the programme.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who the (a) Chair and (b) other members are of the Universal Credit Programme board.

Mr Mark Harper: The Chair of the Universal Credit Programme Board is Sir Robert Walmsley. The members of the Board are:Universal Credit Director General and Senior Responsible Owner – Neil CoulingDWP Operations Director General – Noel ShanahanUC Programme Director – Ian WrightDWP IT Director General, Chief Information Officer – Steve RileyDWP Director General, Digital Transformation – Kevin CunningtonDWP Finance Director General – Mike DriverDWP Strategy Director General – Pete SearleHMRC Director General (Tax Credits and RTI) – Nick LodgeLGA Director – Paul RaynesDWP Human Resources Director General – Deborah AlderDWP Portfolio Management Unit Director – Jacinda HumphryHMT Director – Beth RussellCabinet Office, Director of Commercial Advice – Tony Whitehead

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 25 November 2014, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr M A De Barrus.

Steve Webb: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mr Iain Duncan Smith, replied to the Rt. Hon. Member on 10 January 2015.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Butterflies: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect exotic butterflies; and what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on that issue.

George Eustice: The UK Government is committed to working to help the conservation of biodiversity worldwide. The UK works closely with other countries to promote the conservation of the world's wildlife through our membership of international agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Convention on Migratory Species. A number of swallowtail butterflies are protected by CITES against unsustainable levels of international trade. We consult the Devolved Administrations on any species listing proposals tabled by international environmental agreements such as CITES.  The conservation of butterflies in Northern Ireland is a devolved issue. Defra has had no recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on this issue.

Waste Disposal: Fires

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures are in place to protect local authorities from incurring costs relating to waste fires at sites which they do not control.

Dan Rogerson: The responsibility for meeting the obligations arising from an environmental permit for a waste management site lies with the operator. This includes the cost of clearing residual waste after a fire at a permitted waste site.   The Environment Agency may refuse an application for an environmental permit if it believes the site will not be operated in accordance with the environmental permit. Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010, where the Environment Agency considers that an operator has contravened an environmental permit, it may serve an enforcement notice on the operator specifying the steps that must be taken to remedy the contravention. The Environment Agency also has the power to do works (or arrange for works to be done on its behalf) where it considers that the operation of a regulated facility involves a risk of serious pollution or if the commission of certain offences causes pollution.   Where it appears to the Environment Agency that any controlled waters are being or have been harmed or are likely to be harmed, the Environment Agency has the power to issue a notice requiring a “responsible person” to carry out specified works or operations.   The Environment Agency also has the power under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to serve a notice on the occupier or owner of premises to remove waste that has been illegally deposited or to eliminate or reduce the consequences of its deposit.   Subject to the type and quantity of waste stored, waste site fire resilience is a matter for local Fire and Rescue Authorities. The Fire and Rescue Authorities do this through regular inspections and enforcement where necessary. Regular risk assessments are carried out in consultation with the local authority and other agencies, for example the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency.

Fracking

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2014 to Question 208622, if she will reconsider her decision not to publish the Shale Gas Rural Economy Impact Report.

Dan Rogerson: I have nothing to add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw, John Mann, on 11 September 2014, Official Report, column 723W.

Dairy Farming

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support UK dairy farmers who are producing milk without the use of intensive indoor practices.

George Eustice: There is a place in UK agriculture for all sustainable production systems that meet our comprehensive environmental and animal health and welfare standards.   The Government is taking a number of steps to support UK dairy farmers. We are promoting UK exports, and pushing for better Country of Origin Labelling. The new £141 million Countryside Productivity Scheme will include measures to help dairy farmers.

Fishing Catches

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which fish species have been overfished in 2013-14.

George Eustice: In 2013, four stocks from over 100 were overfished as follows:   Stock Landings as percentage of quota North Sea herring 100.2% Celtic Sea sole 105.2% Celtic Sea plaice 112.1% Western Approaches plaice 118.7%   Data for 2014 are not yet available as international quota trading, which may be used to cover initial overfishing, is permitted until the end of January 2015.

Dairy Farming

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on implementation of point 7, on constantly improving standards of animal health and welfare, in the dairy industry growth plan, Leading the Way, published in June 2014.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to championing a thriving, sustainable British food and farming sector and to promote high standards of animal welfare. The UK’s animal welfare and environmental standards are among the highest in the world and we will continue to promote this across all sectors.   We have worked closely with the dairy industry to produce the ‘Leading the Way’ Growth Plan. The Plan sets out a clear vision for the dairy industry, including improving standards and safeguarding the health and welfare of dairy cows. The industry is now taking this forward. The industry steering group set up to oversee progress on the Growth Plan will provide regular updates on progress via the Dairy Supply Chain Forum.

Fishing Catches

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the announcement by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on 7 January 2015, on January 2015 catch limits, from which industry bodies the MMO received feedback; which fisheries representatives contacted the MMO; and how many members each such organisation represents.

George Eustice: The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has discussed catch limits with representatives of the New Under Ten Fishermen's Association, the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, the North Devon Fishermen’s Association and many individual fishermen. The Government does not hold detailed information on the membership of these organisations.

Marine Management Organisation

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2014 to Question 214438, when she plans to publish the triennial review of the Maritime Management Organisation.

George Eustice: The Triennial Review of the Marine Management Organisation is now in the final stages of the clearance process.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average (a) rent and (b) proportion of market rent is of the homes built or converted as part of the affordable rent model.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 09 December 2014



The average (median) rent of new Affordable Rent lets was £109 per week in England and £165 per week in London in 2013-14. These figures represent 80% of market rent across England and 55% of market rent in London. The Affordable Rent model allows for more new affordable housing to be delivered with lower levels of taxpayer capital subsidy and by levering in more private investment. The programme is helping deliver £15 billion of private investment in new affordable housing over the current spending review (2011-15), alongside £4.5 billion of public investment. Social rent and affordable rent go hand in hand; both help provide accommodation for those on low incomes.  As the National Audit Office has observed: “the Department selected the best delivery model open to it for the funds it had available” and “the Department has so far achieved its policy objective to maximise the number of homes delivered within the available grant funding” (National Audit Office, “Financial viability of the social housing sector: introducing the Affordable Homes Programme”, 4 July 2012, HC465, pp. 6-7).  Our Affordable Housing programme is set to deliver a further 275,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2020, levering in £38 billion of public and private investment.

Travellers

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many meetings he, his Ministers or officials have had with individuals and organisations representing Gypsies, Roma or Travellers since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: Officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government hold quarterly meetings with organisations representing Gypsies, Travellers and Roma through the DCLG Gyspy, Traveller and Roma Liaison Group. The Group has met nine times since June 2012 and the first meeting was attended by a DCLG Minister. DCLG Ministers have met members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Gypsy Roma Travellers. DCLG officials have also met individuals and organisations representing Gypsies, Travellers and Roma at other meetings, conferences and events, including consultation events, but we do not hold a comprehensive list of these.

Fire Prevention

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department allocated to the Fire Kills campaign in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Penny Mordaunt: Holding answer received on 05 January 2015



The award-winning Fire Kills campaign promotes a range of fire safety messages, primarily around the importance of working smoke alarms, to help drive down the number of fires and associated casualties.   Outturn spending by my Department on the Fire Kills campaign was £898,000 in 2010-11, £980,000 in 2011-12, £946,000 in 2012-13 and £840,000 in 2013-14. Allocated spend in 2014-15 is £1 million. All figures exclude VAT.   The campaigns are run in conjunction with local fire and rescue authorities, who will also undertake expenditure. We also work with national (commercial) partners at no direct cost to taxpayers. Recent partners have included B&Q and Sprue Safety Products, Ei Electronics, British Beer and Pubs Association, Poundland, Netmums, Working Mums, Boat Safety Scheme, Zurich Municipal Insurance and the Post Office, HETAS and 20th Century Fox (in conjunction with the film "How to Train Your Dragon 2").   The 2013-14 Fire Kills report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-kills-campaign-annual-report-2013-to-2014

Housing: Construction

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much has been paid under the New Homes Bonus grant scheme in each region in each year since 2013; and what estimate he has made of the amount likely to be so paid in each year to 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 08 January 2015



I refer the hon. Member to my Written Ministerial Statement of 16 December 2014, Official Report, Column 79WS. We have not published any estimates to 2018.   The New Homes Bonus operates at a local authority level, and we do not publish statistics based on the former government office regions. We have abolished regional government and regional planning.

Housing: Construction

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount of New Homes Bonus funding allocated to (a) Swindon, (b) Wiltshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The table below sets out to the nearest £10,000 how much New Homes Bonus funding has been allocated to the unitary authorities of Swindon and Wiltshire, and to England as a whole. Figures for 2015-16 are provisional allocations announced in December last year. The figures show cumulative totals as new Homes Bonus is paid for six years.  2011-12(£million)2012-13(£million)2013-14(£million)2014-15(£million)2015-16  (provisional)(£million)Total New Homes Bonus2011-2016 (£million)Swindon1.452.784.015.076.10 19.41 Wiltshire1.844.597.5910.9014.28 39.20England199.26431.89668.34916.971,167.31 3,383.77   The New Homes Bonus rewards the delivery of additional homes and is a powerful, simple and transparent incentive for housing growth, and getting long-term empty homes back into use. The Bonus ensures that local authorities who promote and welcome growth can share in its economic benefits, and build the communities in which people want to live and work. Councils are free to spend the Bonus as they choose, including on front-line services and keeping council tax low. The Bonus also reverses the perverse situation under the last Labour Government, where councils were effectively penalised for building new homes; councils with a larger council tax base from house building found that the amount of formula grant they received from central government was reduced during the equalisation process.

HM Treasury

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2014 to Question 217619, when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 10 November 2014, reference MC2014/04463; and what the reason was for the time taken to respond.

Priti Patel: I have responded to the hon. Member.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

International Climate Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much of the funds earmarked by his Department for the International Climate Fund has been disbursed.

Amber Rudd: At the end of 2014, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has spent a total of £1,002,545,698 from the International Climate Fund meeting our allocation to date.

International Climate Fund

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many projects of what value have been financed by decisions taken by the International Climate Fund Board Climate Investment Funds to date.

Amber Rudd: To date, a total of £982,613,599 has been approved and committed to the Climate Investment Funds from the International Climate Fund.Decisions on financing projects from these funds are taken by the relevant Trust Fund Committee. The UK is a member of each of these Committees.

Natural Gas

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits to local economies in which there will be deep gas winning and underground coal gasification operations.

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the local environment of areas with deep gas winning and underground coal gasification.

Matthew Hancock: Gas produced by underground coal gasification has the potential to provide benefits to the UK including new jobs as well as decreasing our reliance on foreign energy imports. The Department has established a working group to examine, amongst other things, the research and feasibility work carried out to date in the UK related to underground coal gasification.

Green Climate Fund

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to his Written Statement of 18 December 2014, HCWS143, on Lima Climate Change Conference, what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK's contribution to the Green Climate Fund will deliver value for money.

Amber Rudd: In order to ensure value for money for the UK’s contribution, we are actively engaging in developing and monitoring the performance of the policies that govern the Fund. Through our seat on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board and the GCF Investment Committee, the UK is working with other Board members to agree: · A strong investment policy against which all funding proposals will be assessed; · A robust results management framework to ensure project results are accurately measured and evaluated; and · Stringent criteria (including fiduciary standards and environmental and social safeguards) that will apply to all entities accredited to deliver GCF projects.Through regular monitoring and evaluation, the UK, along with other Board members, will ensure that the GCF delivers real world outcomes and good value for money in a broad range of countries.

Energy: Meters

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what projections his Department has made of the scale-up of smart meter installations between now and the 2020 target end date.

Amber Rudd: DECC obtains information from energy suppliers regarding their plans for rolling out smart meters, and publishes aggregated projections in its annual progress report. The latest report (third version) was issued on December 11th. It is available online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/third-annual-progress-report-on-the-roll-out-of-smart-meters.The report includes a chart on page 16 which shows the latest annual projections for large energy suppliers until 2020.

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading B; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “B” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below:  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 81,814132,75350,725254,875 Carbon Capture and Storage21,05267,4315,500113,100Carbon Capture and Storage Commercialisation Programme (including FEED studies)Deliver secure energy on the way to a low carbon energy future29,91230,20443,225100,775Big Energy Savings Network; Science and InnovationEnergy Strategy & Futures and Electricity Market Reform11,29612,69810010,000Electricity Market Reform including the design and delivery of Contracts for Difference, the Capacity Market and Electricity Demand Reduction PilotsNew Nuclear2,266232400-New NuclearOil and Gas2,7984,601--Oil and GasRenewable Energy Deployment14,49017,5871,50031,000Renewable Heat Incentive; Renewable Energy- including the Offshore Wind Manufacturing Fund.

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading A; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-headings and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below:  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 61,027373,330136,836157,400 Fuel Poverty2,8984,91024,0001,500Fuel Poverty measuresGreen Deal23,96824,700148,247166,000Green DealHeat Strategy, Policy & Delivery9,00111,386--Heat programmeNational Carbon Markets1,5001,115--Climate Change Agreements and energy intensive industriesNational Energy Efficiency6,1619,119--Energy Using Products; Climate Change Economic Analysis; Community Energy Savings Programme and OFGEM costs for operation of the Feed-in-Tariff scheme.Save energy with the Green Deal and support vulnerable consumers-310,000--Government Electricity RebateSmart Meters17,49912,100--Smart MetersCarbon Trust & Energy Saving Trust---35,411-10,100Energy Efficiency Loan repayments

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading G; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “G” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below:  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 26,83532,9364,2008,600 Coal Authority26,83532,9364,2008,600Departmental NDPB, managing the effects of past coal mining, that are not the responsibility of licensed coal mine operators. Dealing with mine water pollution, subsidence and other mining legacy issues, as well as licensing of current coal mining.

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading H; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-headings and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below:  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 3,10327000 Civil Nuclear Police Authority3,103270--Redundancy and other costs not recoverable from customers of the CNPA

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading M; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “M” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below:  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £k  -45,682-200,999-478,914-120,294 British Energy-181,357-174,600--Net movement in provisions for British Energy liabilitiesCoal Health Liabilities115,7373,000--Net movement in provisions for Coal Health liabilitiesCoal Pensions2,298--478,914-120,294Net movement in valuation of Coal Pension surpluses (Resource); Surpluses receivable from Coal Pension schemes (Capital)Coal Privatisation Liabilities5---Net movement in provisions for Coal Privatisation liabilitiesConcessionary Fuel17,635-29,399--Net movement in provisions for Concessionary Fuel liabilities

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading E; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “E” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below.  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 145,774131,4664,12410,655 Deliver the capability DECC needs to achieve its goals136,801128,432--Departmental Administration costs; Payments to OFGEMCorporate Services & Strategy8,9733,0344,12410,655Departmental IT and Estates Capital expenditure; Departmental expenditure on contingency planning, economists and communications; centrally held budgets

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading F; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “F” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below.  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 1,450,2631,405,6551,700,0001,766,000 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority1,450,2631,405,6551,700,0001,766,000NDA and Site Licence Company expenditure

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading C; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “C” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below:  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 20,4508,506370,324220,000 Drive ambitious action on climate change at home and abroad1,225674--Carbon Reduction Commitment enforcement costs (Environment Agency)EU ETS & tax8951,075--EU Emissions Trading administration (including Environment Agency)International & EU Energy & Security3,1544,057--International subscriptions (including IEA & IRENA) & cyber securityInternational climate change3,5002,700--International climate change including UNFCC subscriptionInternational Climate Fund11,676-370,324220,000International Climate Fund

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading D; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “D” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below.  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £kPurpose/function 340,663323,0938,3017,875 British Energy247,000236,300--British Energy historic liabilitiesCivil Nuclear Liabilities722576--Nuclear & Radioactive WasteCoal Pensions164250--Coal Pensions LiabilitiesConcessionary Fuel Liabilities55,23453,799--Concessionary Fuel LiabilitiesGlobal Threat Reduction3,7501,5047,1010Reduce threats posed by nuclear & radiological materials/expertise worldwideNon-Proliferation26,30222,96600Subscriptions and support to the IAEA and the OPCWNuclear Security7,4917,6981,2007,875Nuclear security, emergency planning and safety incl. Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET)

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading N; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “N” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below.  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £k  5,479,000336,54900 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority5,479,000336,549--Movement in provisions for nuclear decommissioning liabilities and other non-cash costs

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading Q; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “Q” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below.  2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £k  028,821,97200 Deliver secure energy on the way to a low carbon energy future-28,821,972--Provision for the fair value of the liability recognised in respect of Contracts for Difference entered into under the Electricity Market Reform programme which have or may be signed this Financial Year. The liability is expected to be recognised in accordance with International Accounting Standard 39

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to Part II: Subhead detail of his Department's Main Supply Estimates for 2014-15, what programmes are supported under subheading R; what the purpose and functions are of each such programme; and how much funding was allocated to each such programme in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Amber Rudd: A detailed breakdown of the programmes supported under the sub-heading “R” and the Budgets for 2013-14 and 2014-15 at the time of the Main Estimate is held on the HM Treasury database OSCAR, and is shown in the table below.   2013-142014-152013-142014-15 ProgrammeResource £kCapital £k  028,821,97200 Deliver secure energy on the way to a low carbon energy future-28,821,972--Provision for the fair value of the liability recognised in respect of Contracts for Difference entered into under the Electricity Market Reform programme which have been or may be signed this Financial Year. The liability is expected to be recognised in accordance with International Accounting Standard 39

Public Expenditure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to page 98 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, what the reasons are for the change in core department spending between 2012-13 and 2013-14 on (a) accommodation, (b) travel and subsistence and (c) training and non-staff pay costs.

Amber Rudd: During 2013-14 the Department acquired temporary rental accommodation in London to support a peak in staff numbers and the £560k listed in the Report represents lease costs for an additional building from November 2013. The increase in general accommodation costs is accounted for by the refurbishment of the new building, the rental of space from the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills, and a general increase in the costs of annual building maintenance and sustainability projects;DECC’s work includes securing the nation’s future energy supplies, international negotiations and regulation of the oil and gas industry. Travel can be crucial to the Department’s business and is sometimes unavoidable. Any travel is for business purposes only and we are careful to ensure that the most cost-effective and suitable travel arrangements are identified. Expenditure depends on variations in business needs from year to year;The amount spent on training and other non-pay staff costs varies from year to year and depends on changes in the number of staff, business requirements for training and the incidence of professional membership fees.

Fracking

Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent representations he has received on regulations relating to hydraulic fracturing; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: The Department regularly receives representations regarding regulation relating to shale gas development and exploration and we have produced a range of guidance material which set out how these concerns are addressed. These can be found at the following link.https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/providing-regulation-and-licensing-of-energy-industries-and-infrastructure/supporting-pages/developing-shale-gas-and-oil-in-the-ukWe have a strong regulatory framework in place to ensure a comprehensive regime for exploratory activities, and the UK has over 50 years of experience in oil and gas drilling. All of the right regulations are in place to ensure on-site safety, prevent water contamination, air pollution and mitigate seismic activity.In June 2012 the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering published an independent review of the scientific and engineering evidence on risks associated with UK shale gas development. Their report concluded that environmental (and health and safety) risks can be managed effectively in the UK, when operational best practices are implemented and enforced through regulation.In June 2014 Public Health England published a report that evaluated available evidence on issues including air quality, radon gas, naturally occurring radioactive materials, water contamination and waste water. They concluded that “the risks to public health from exposure to emissions from shale gas extraction are low if operations are properly run and regulated.”

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government takes to vet (a) applicants for and (b) holders of civil service posts in central government departments for extremist views.

Mr Francis Maude: All civil servants are subject to recruitment checks (including of unspent criminal records) and are subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Code. Civil servants in sensitive roles are also subject to national security vetting, which involves a wide range of checks including against Security Service and police records. Managers are expected to report concerns about staff, including for example, expressions of support for extremist views, actions or incidents. Further details of the vetting process are available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmg-personnel-security-controls.

Jobseekers Allowance: East of England

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many payments for jobseeker's allowance were terminated (a) as a result of employment and (b) for other reasons in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire and (vi) Norfolk in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



Excel Sheet for Member - Jobseekers Allowance
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.06 KB)




ONS Letter to Member
(PDF Document, 103.34 KB)

House of Commons Commission

Dissolution

Mr David Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent discussions the Commission has had with the appropriate trades unions regarding the position of employees of the House of Commons whose duties are such that they cannot be carried out during the period of Dissolution of Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: A key element of the current three-year pay deal for pay band A–E staff is the harmonisation of arrangements for working contractual hours, including ending a number of localised variations.Given the extent to which work in some areas is driven by the business of the House and the variability of these hours over the year, full contractual hours need not be worked in any particular week – but should be over a year. From November 2014, all line managers have been formally required to monitor the hours their staff are working, including identifying appropriate additional work in cases where this is necessary.Whilst most work relating to the Chamber and committees will cease during the Dissolution period there will be a significant amount of suitable alternative work required in preparation for the new Parliament.There are regular formal and informal meetings with the recognised trades unions where these matters have been discussed. For example, four formal meetings were held with the trades unions during the period October to December 2014 and further formal meetings are scheduled in January and March 2015.

Deputy Prime Minister

Electoral Register

Toby Perkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what representations he has received on the effect on transgendered people of the new online voter registration system.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 12 January 2015



The on-line service has been extensively tested with a wide range of users. We are aware of the concerns raised by the transgender community and are committed to taking steps to ensure that voter registration is as accessible as possible for all in society.

Economic Growth: North of England

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Northern Futures project.

Mr Nick Clegg: The Northern Futures project engaged with thousands of people across the north, with 2,000 people following the Northern Futures Twitter account and several events held across northern cities. We are making good progress on implementing the best ideas that came forward through this process, including: Confirmation at Autumn Statement of £7bn to improving road networks and replacing old fashioned pacer trains across the northThe recruitment of the Head of TechNorth, a new arm of TechCity UK which will support the region's tech businesses, which is now underway.Finalising proposals for how to best use the £10m of funding made available to support the region's tourism industry, including through a DPM hosted roundtable meeting planned for later this month.Creation of a working group on the temporary use of vacant buildings and land to see how we can bring underused sites back into use to support businesses, artists and community groups in the north of England.

Department of Health

Social Services

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change was in expenditure per head of population aged 65 and over on adult social care services in each English local authority in 2009-10 and 2013-14.

Norman Lamb: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 05 January 2015.The correct answer should have been:

Data on expenditure per head of population aged 65 and over on adult social care services is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The attached table provides the net current expenditure per head of population who receive adult social care aged 65 and over, broken down by local authority and year. The last column shows the percentage change between 2009-10 and 2013-14. Local authorities in England spent £6.7 billion on social care for people aged over 65 and over in 2013-14, compared with £7.4 billion in 2009-10. In 2013-14 the National Health Service transferred £859 million to social care but we are unable to include this investment in the overall spending figure as we do not hold information on how much of it was spent on people aged 65 and over.The attached table provides a breakdown of expenditure on social care per head of population aged 65 and over broken down by local authority in 2009-10 and 2013-14. The table also details the percentage change and actual change between those two financial years. The figures do not include NHS transfer funding.


Over 65 LA expenditure
(Word Document, 34.64 KB)




Social care spend per head of population 2009-14
(Word Document, 26.82 KB)

Norman Lamb: Data on expenditure per head of population aged 65 and over on adult social care services is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The attached table provides the net current expenditure per head of population who receive adult social care aged 65 and over, broken down by local authority and year. The last column shows the percentage change between 2009-10 and 2013-14. Local authorities in England spent £6.7 billion on social care for people aged over 65 and over in 2013-14, compared with £7.4 billion in 2009-10. In 2013-14 the National Health Service transferred £859 million to social care but we are unable to include this investment in the overall spending figure as we do not hold information on how much of it was spent on people aged 65 and over.The attached table provides a breakdown of expenditure on social care per head of population aged 65 and over broken down by local authority in 2009-10 and 2013-14. The table also details the percentage change and actual change between those two financial years. The figures do not include NHS transfer funding.


Over 65 LA expenditure
(Word Document, 34.64 KB)




Social care spend per head of population 2009-14
(Word Document, 26.82 KB)

Ambulance Services: East Midlands

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of service provided by the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Jane Ellison: Ambulance services are busier than ever. The latest data for November 2014 shows that East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) is not meeting the three national standards:   - Red1 A - 72.8% (standard 75%) - Red2 A - 71.5% (standard 75%) - A19 – 93.7% (standard 95%)   The NHS Trust Development Authority, Care Quality Commission, clinical commissioning groups and other local trusts continue to work together to support the Trust, which has recovery plans in place.   As part of record operational resilience planning for winter, we have provided an additional £50 million to support ambulance trusts locally in managing extra demand. Nationwide, we have 1,700 more paramedics since 2010.

Learning Disability and Autism

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the recommendations of the report by Sir Stephen Bubb, entitled, Winterbourne View - Time for Change are being implemented as soon as possible.

Norman Lamb: NHS England and the Department of Health are considering the report’s recommendations in the context of the ongoing, system-wide Transforming Care programme, convened in response to events at Winterbourne View Hospital. NHS England will respond to the report by Sir Stephen Bubb in early 2015.

NHS: Finance

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost of allocating the funding from primary care trusts to clinical commissioning groups and other organisations.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The change of the funding allocation basis consisted of the development of a target formula for clinical commissioning groups and other organisations, and replaced work that would have otherwise focused on the development of the target formula for primary care trusts. The work was absorbed in existing resources, with no additional cost.

Nurses

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses there were in (a) West Suffolk Hospital, (b) Ipswich Hospital and (c) England in each year since 2010.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre publish an annual workforce census, which shows staff working in the National Health Service in England. The latest information from the census was published in March 2014 and shows the position at 30 September 2013; the next annual census will be published in March 2015 showing the position as at 30 September 2014. The Health and Social Care Information Centre also publish monthly National Health Service workforce statistics. The latest data as at September 2014 was published on 17 December.   The numbers of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in West Suffolk Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, Health Education East of England region and England in each year from September 2004 are set out in the attached table. 



Qualified staff-West Suffolk & Ipswich Hospital
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.61 KB)

NHS Walk-in Centres

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS walk-in centres have closed in the UK in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: The requested information is not collected centrally. The last government made the local NHS responsible for NHS walk-in-centres in 2007 and it is for local commissioners to decide on the availability of these services.

Danetre Hospital

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the future provision of services at Danetre Hospital, Daventry.

Jane Ellison: The provision of services, including those at Danetre Hospital, is a matter for the local NHS. As such, the Department will make no assessment of future provision of services at the hospital.

Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his announcement on 20 November 2014 of an Innovative Medicines and MedTech Review, how the independent organisation that will run the review will be selected; and what the criteria for the selection will be.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his announcement on 20 November 2014 of an Innovative Medicines and MedTech Review, launched on 20 November 2014, what the formal terms of reference are for the review and what the deadline is for the review to report.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his announcement on 20 November 2014 of an Innovative Medicines and MedTech Review, if he will ensure that the review will take into consideration the conclusions of NICE following its consideration of responses to the Value-Based Assessment consultation.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his announcement on 20 November 2014 of an Innovative Medicines and MedTech Review, whether the review will take into account the ongoing Innovation, Health and Wealth refresh.

George Freeman: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement that I made on 20 November 2014, Official Report, column 14WS. The review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology will consider how to speed up access for National Health Service patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.   The Government is working to establish the formal terms of reference for the review. These will be published in due course. The exact structure of the review is currently being considered and, as appropriate, procurements will be through standard departmental procurement processes.   The review will set out both short and long-term options for action by Government and relevant bodies — including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS England. Officials are already working with these bodies and will continue to do so as the review progresses.   The review will take into account a wide range of evidence to draw up its recommendations. We anticipate an initial report before the autumn.

NHS: Innovation

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to publish the results of the Innovation Health and Wealth refresh.

George Freeman: NHS England has advised that the publication of this review has been superseded by the Five Year Forward View which was published on 23 October 2014 and is available at:   www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/futurenhs/   The Five Year Forward View builds on the progress made through the Innovation Health and Wealth work programme, and signals new initiatives to support innovation, such as ‘test bed’ sites to deploy and test new technologies in a real-world setting. More broadly, both the Department and NHS England have made good progress in delivering the aims of Innovation Health and Wealth, and remain committed to driving improvements in health through developing, testing and spreading innovation across the health system. For example, ongoing improvements are being made to the Innovation Scorecard, to enhance its effectiveness as a tool to support the identification of unjustified variation in the uptake of new technologies in the NHS.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to educate pedestrians about the effect of alcohol on their safety.

Jane Ellison: We work with partners to ensure that general information is available for the public on the risks to personal safety from drunkenness.   Drinkaware aims to get people to think differently about alcohol and their website (www.drinkaware.co.uk) includes advice on how alcohol affects people’s safety.   There is information on the risks and effects of alcohol on Frank (www.talktofrank.com), the national drug/alcohol information website for young people.   The Department for Transport is responsible for advice to the public about road safety.

Breast Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges about the use of hypnosis in the treatment of breast cancer.

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no such meetings with the Royal Colleges on this issue.

Asthma

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges and the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research about appropriate dosages for treatment of asthma.

George Freeman: We have had no such discussions.   Prescribing decisions are a matter for clinicians based on their patients’ individual clinical needs and taking relevant advice from sources such as the British National Formulary, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, specialty association publications and any local prescribing policies.

Cancer: Obesity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to address the incidence of cancer in (a) women and (b) men who are overweight.

Jane Ellison: Since early 2011 the Department of Health (Public Health England from 1 April 2013) has been running Be Clear on Cancer campaigns. These are designed to:   - raise the public’s awareness of specific cancer symptoms; - encourage people with those symptoms to go to the doctor; and - diagnose cancer at an earlier stage, and therefore make it more treatable, and thereby improve cancer survival rates   While these campaigns are not specifically targeted at people who are overweight, the campaign literature does include prevention messages such as giving up smoking, keeping active and eating more healthily.   In addition, Public Health England is developing a new programme of activity aimed at helping mid-life adults to make changes to improve their health including eating well, moving more and drinking less.   As part of work to tackle obesity, NHS England is taking action to become the first country to implement at scale a national evidence-based diabetes prevention programme, based on proven United Kingdom and international models, as outlined in the Five Year Forward View. There will be wider benefits associated with reduction of chronic disease risk more generally.

Abortion

Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Supreme Court decision on the Abortion Act 1967 in relation to staff of NHS Greater Glasgow and North Clyde in December 2014, if he will take steps to protect individual rights of conscience for administrative personnel in the NHS and ensure that the decisions of those who do not wish to be involved in any aspect of abortion procedures are respected; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to clarify the legal rights of healthcare workers across the UK in relation to this issue.

Jane Ellison: The recent Supreme Court decision upholds the long standing interpretation of Section 4 of the Abortion Act that the right to object to participate in abortion treatment is limited to those staff who actually take part in treatment administered in a hospital or other approved place.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the studies recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's expert review panel in the publication, Scientific review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease through assisted conception: update, published in March 2013 on mosaicism in human morulae have been concluded; and in which peer-reviewed journal his Department plans to publish the findings of those studies.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that in its 2014 report the Expert Panel, convened by the HFEA, concluded that, in relation to mosaicism in human morulae:   “Although experiments are already reported on ES cells and their derivatives with MST, further corroborative experiments would be valuable to demonstrate the degree of heteroplasmic mosaicism in morulae, and to provide data to address whether there was any amplification of mtDNA carried over.”   The Panel’s report can be found on the HFEA’s website at:   http://www.hfea.gov.uk/6896.html   The “already reported” experiments were published in Nature in 2013.   At the time of writing the 2014 report, to the Panel’s knowledge, this work had not been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The Department does not routinely publish scientific research conducted independently by others.

Mental Health Services: Birmingham

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for talking therapy in Birmingham.

Norman Lamb: Information on the median waiting times for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Birmingham for 2013-14 is shown in the following table.Number of referrals entering treatmentMedian waiting time (days)NHS Birmingham and South Central CCG3,32026NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG5,13525NHS Birmingham Cross City CCG9,02029 Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), IAPT Dataset   Notes: It is not possible to separate Sandwell from NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG; as such, data for Sandwell is also included in this responseThe IAPT dataset contains information on referrals to IAPT services which provide talking therapies.Waiting time is measured by counting the number of days between a referral being received and the first treatment appointment. Currently, the presence of a valid therapy type is used as an indicator of whether treatment was provided in the course of the appointment.This data is based upon a count of referrals received by IAPT services, not distinct people. In order to be included in these figures, a referral must have had a first treatment appointment in the reporting period (1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014)

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mrs Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to put contingency arrangements in place to ensure support for recipients of mitochondrial donation techniques in the event of failure or abnormal development in the resulting child.

Jane Ellison: There are already arrangements in place to support children born with conditions relating.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mrs Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of whether eggs used in the creation of embryos through maternal spindle transfer or pronuclear transfer have had their mitochondrial or nuclear genes altered in the process.

Jane Ellison: Neither the nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA of the patient’s egg is altered during the creation of an embryo during mitochondrial donation treatment, using the maternal spindle transfer (MST) and pro-nuclear transfer (PNT) techniques.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mrs Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for public safety in relation to his policy on mitochondrial transfer of the study by Professor John Zhang et al, published in Fertility and Sterility, Vol 80, Suppl. 3, September 2003.

Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) on 3 December 2014 to Question 216104.

Sick Leave

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies were absent from work through sickness in December 2014.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information requested is presented in the table below. For the Department’s executive non-departmental public bodies the information requested is not held centrally: consequently this data has been provided by the individual bodies.Name of organisation Number of staff absent from work through sickness during December 2014Department of Health195NHS England729Monitor36Care Quality Commission206National Institute for Health and Care Excellence111Health and Social Care Information Centre256Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority5Health Research Authority23Human Tissue Authority4

Mesothelioma

Dr Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to raise awareness of mesothelioma and its cause by (a) exposure to asbestos and (b) other causes.

Jane Ellison: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has run a number of asbestos related awareness raising campaigns including the ‘Hidden Killer’ campaign in 2008-09; the asbestos ‘Training Pledge’ in 2010; and the current ‘Beware Asbestos’ campaign.   The ‘Beware Asbestos’ campaign was launched in October 2014 and is aimed at trades in which people who may disturb asbestos-containing materials in their day to day work. It includes information on identifying asbestos-containing materials and simple, easy to understand advice on how to avoid exposure to asbestos when carrying out a range of common work activities on such materials. It features a smartphone ‘app’ as a means of delivering this information to.   HSE has guidance on the health risks from asbestos, including mesothelioma on its dedicated asbestos related web pages, together with comprehensive information on how to comply with the legal controls covering work with asbestos. This is available at   www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos   Information about causes and symptoms of mesothelioma and advice on seeking help is also available on NHS Choices at  www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Lungcancer/Pages/Asbestosandlungcancer.aspx

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the experiment on mitochondrial DNA carry-over on non-human primate model into the possible heteroplasmy of tissues in the foetus, recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's expert panel in its publication Scientific review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease through assisted conception, published April 2011, has been concluded; and in which peer-reviewed journal he plans to publish the results of that experiment.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that some relevant experiments have been carried out in the macaque a summary of which can be found at paragraph 2.3.4 of the 2013 report of the Expert Panel convened by the HFEA. The report can be found on the HFEA’s website at:   http://www.hfea.gov.uk/6896.html   The results were published in Cell Reports in 2012.   The use of non-human primate experiments was deemed by the Panel, in its 2013 and 2014 reports, to no longer be necessary.   The Department does not routinely publish scientific research conducted independently by others.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the experiment on vitrifying zygotes created through pronuclear transfer, recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's expert panel in its publication Scientific review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease through assisted conception, published in April 2011, has been concluded; and in which open access peer-reviewed journal he plans to publish the results of that experiment.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that at the time of writing its 2014 report that to, the Expert Panel’s knowledge, convened by the HFEA, relevant results relating to these further had not been being published in a peer-reviewed journal.   However, the Panel recognised that advances in cryopreservation are being made generally within the context of assisted reproduction technology.   The Department does not routinely publish scientific research conducted independently by others.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the experiments on human embryonic stem cells derived from blastocysts that are heteroplasmic for abnormal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and blastocysts created through maternal spindle transfer and pronuclear transfer where the oocytes had abnormal mtDNA, recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's expert panel in its publication Scientific review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease through assisted conception, published April 2011, has been concluded; and in which peer-reviewed journal he plans to publish the results of those experiments.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the Expert Panel it convened revised this recommended research to the following, as outlined in its 2013 and 2014 reports:   “Tests for heteroplasmy should be carried out on primordial germ cells obtained from human ES cells derived from blastocysts created through MST and PNT where the oocytes had variant or abnormal mtDNA. If primordial germ cell derivation is not possible or limitations in the model undermine its utility, clonal analysis of single cell-derived human ES cells could be used. Comparisons beginning with blastocysts known to be heteroplasmic for variant or abnormal mtDNA would be informative. This recommendation still stands.”   The Panel’s reports can be found on the HFEA’s website at:   http://www.hfea.gov.uk/6896.html   The Panel’s rationale regarding experiments using abnormal mitochondria is outlined at section 3.5 of their 2014 report.   At the time of writing the 2014 report, to the Panel’s knowledge, this work had not been published in a peer-reviewed journal.   The Department does not routinely publish scientific research conducted independently by others.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the experiment involving the use of induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients carrying different mitochondrial DNA mutations, recommended by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's expert panel in its publication Scientific review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease through assisted conception, published April 2011, has been concluded; and in which peer-reviewed journal he plans to publish the results of that experiment.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that at the time of writing its 2014 report the Expert Panel, convened by the HFEA, was not aware of results relating to the use of induced pluripotent stem cells derived from patients carrying different mitochondrial DNA mutations being published in a peer-reviewed journal.   The Department does not routinely publish scientific research conducted independently by others.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on conducting tests identified by the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority as critical before the implementation of mitochondrial transfer regulations.

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertility and Embryology Authority has said that “The further experiments that the panel has recommended could take place before or after the techniques are made lawful”, and this is endorsed by the Expert Panel. Good progress is being made on the experiments and the scientists involved hope to provide an update shortly.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients waited longer than four hours in A&E departments in 2014.

Norman Lamb: Of almost 22.4 million attendances at all accident and emergency departments in England in 2014, 94.5% of patients were seen within the four hour standard. Of these, just over 1.2 million patients spent over four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.

General Practitioners

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission research on the reasons for people going to a GP surgery.

Dr Daniel Poulter: We have no plans to commission research on the reasons for people going to a general practitioner (GP) surgery.   Under the terms of their contracts, GPs are required to provide essential primary medical care services to their patients who are, or believe themselves to be, ill, terminally ill, or suffering from chronic disease.

Accident and Emergency Departments

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of social care budget changes on A&E attendances.

Norman Lamb: There has been no assessment made of the effect of social care budget changes on accident and emergency (A&E) attendances. However, the Government has legislated to establish the Better Care Fund from 2015-16 to provide better integrated care. One of the conditions of the Better Care Fund is to improve the delivery of health and social care by preventing people reaching crisis point, and to reduce the quantity of non-elective admissions to acute care, which may serve to ease the pressures on A&E departments.

Cancer: Drugs

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the (a) Government's genomics programme and (b) work of the Department of Translational Medicine at Birmingham University to offer new treatments for cancer.

Jane Ellison: The Prime Minister’s 100,000 Genomes Project is leading the world – 11 NHS genomic medicine centres across England will deliver the project helping patients with rare diseases and cancer. It has the potential to transform the future of healthcare - an improved ability to predict and prevent disease, new and more precise diagnostic tests, more personalised drugs and treatments. The Institute of Translational Medicine at Birmingham University will also accelerate access to new diagnostics, drugs and medical devices and provide a focus for life sciences.

NHS: Pay

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to resolve the pay dispute in the NHS.

Dr Daniel Poulter: All staff will receive an increase in their take home pay this year either as a result of an incremental pay increase or as a result of a 1% pay increase. Trade unions know we are willing to discuss any affordable proposals that could end the pay dispute.

Health Services: North East

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received on hospital services in the North East of England.

Dr Daniel Poulter: A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified 14 items of correspondence received since 1 October 2014 about the reconfiguration of hospital services in the North East. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only. There have been six Parliamentary Questions and one Parliamentary Petition. There have been no meetings with Ministers.

Nurses

Sir Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses worked in the NHS (a) in 2010 and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Mr Jeremy Hunt: There are over 6,000 more nurses on our hospital wards since May 2010.